Health facts more accessible with new iPhone app

A new iPhone app, launched today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) will allow users better access to health information.

The app, OzHealth, presents the latest facts and figures on the health and wellbeing of Australians.

‘Information is presented in a ‘fact sheet’ format, with each page exploring a different topic in simple, easy to understand language,’ said AIHW spokesperson Alison Verhoeven.

‘Topics include: diseases and conditions (such as cancer and asthma), injury, risk factors, health spending, the use of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco, as well as an overview of the health of particular population groups, such as children, Indigenous Australians, and people with low incomes.’

Users can ‘favourite’ particular pages, enabling easy access to topics of interest.

OzHealth also includes a detailed glossary, explaining some of the more complex health-related terms used within the app.

‘We’ve aimed to make our statistical information as user-friendly and appealing as possible, to a wide range of Australians,’ Ms Verhoeven said.

‘We hope OzHealth will be useful to everyone from medical professionals to high school students.’

The app also features an interactive quiz, allowing users to test their knowledge about Australia’s health and health system.

‘We foresee this quiz as becoming a valuable classroom tool,’ Ms Verhoeven said.

The OzHealth app is a valuable companion to the AIHW’s biennial Australia’s health publications. The most recent edition, Australia’s health 2012, was launched by Health Minister Tanya Plibersek in June this year.

‘The main publication was accompanied by a free ‘in brief’ report, providing a simple summary version of some of the key statistics,’ Ms Verhoeven said.

‘Summary documents like this, and now the OzHealth app, continue AIHW’s commitment to timely, accessible health information.’

The AIHW is a major national agency set up by the Australian Government to provide reliable, regular and relevant information and statistics on Australia's health and welfare.

Canberra, 21 November 2012

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