Doctors in Western Australia are raising the alarm over staggering new statistics that reveal the true depth of the state's cost of living crisis. Disturbing data shows a sharp rise in the number of families who cannot afford to put food on the table, coupled with an increase in smoking rates as financial stress takes its toll.
Families Forced to Choose Between Food and Essentials
The latest figures from the Australian Medical Association's (AMA) annual Public Health Report Card are a sobering snapshot of household distress. The report highlights that one in seven adults in WA now lives in a household where someone has run out of food in the past year due to financial constraints. This marks a significant and worrying jump from previous data.
Medical professionals are witnessing the consequences firsthand. Dr. Michael Page, Vice President of AMA WA, stated that the situation has reached a critical point where basic nutrition is being sacrificed. "We are seeing people having to make choices between paying for electricity, paying for rent, and paying for food," Dr. Page explained. The stress of these impossible decisions is creating a cascade of health and social problems across the community.
Smoking Rates Climb Amid Financial Pressure
In a concerning parallel trend, the report also indicates that smoking rates in Western Australia are on the rise, reversing years of public health progress. The data suggests that the daily smoking rate for adults in WA increased to 10.7 per cent, up from figures recorded just a few years prior.
Experts directly link this increase to the pressures of the cost of living crisis. Dr. Page noted that for many individuals under severe financial strain, smoking can be a misguided coping mechanism for stress. This creates a vicious cycle, where money needed for essentials is instead spent on tobacco, further deepening financial hardship and leading to severe long-term health issues like cancer and heart disease.
A Call for Urgent Government Intervention
The AMA WA is using these alarming statistics to call for immediate and targeted action from the State Government. The doctors' group has outlined several key demands to address the dual crises of food insecurity and rising smoking rates.
Their primary recommendations include:
- Implementing a hardship utility grant scheme to prevent families from having their power and water disconnected.
- Expanding access to free and healthy school breakfast programs to ensure every child has a nutritious start to the day, regardless of their family's financial situation.
- Reinvigorating anti-smoking campaigns and support services to help people quit, recognising that stress is a major trigger for relapse or increased use.
The report serves as a stark reminder that economic pressures have direct and severe consequences for public health. As Dr. Page emphasised, the government must treat this not just as an economic issue, but as a pressing health emergency. The wellbeing of thousands of West Australian families depends on a coordinated response to ensure that nobody has to go hungry or turn to harmful habits just to get by.
