Objective: To assess changes in the cost and availability of a standard basket of healthy food items (the Healthy Food Access Basket [HFAB]) in Queensland over time. Design and participants: A series of four cross‐sectional surveys (in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2004) describing the cost and availability of foods in the HFAB over time. In the latest survey, 97 Queensland food stores across the five Australian Bureau of Statistics remoteness categories were compared. Main outcome measures: Cost comparisons for HFAB items by remoteness category for the 97 stores surveyed in 2004; changes in cost and availability of foods in the 81 stores surveyed since 2000; comparisons of food prices in the 56 stores surveyed in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2004. Results: In 2004, the Queensland mean cost of the HFAB was $395.28 a fortnight. The cost of the HFAB was 29.6% ($113.89) higher in “very remote” areas than in “major cities” (P < 0.001). Between 2001 and 2004, the Queensland mean cost of the HFAB increased by 14.0% ($48.45), while in very remote areas the cost increased by 18.0% ($76.93) (P < 0.001). Since 2000, the annualised per cent increase in cost of the HFAB has been higher than the increase in Consumer Price Index for food in Brisbane. The cost of healthy foods has risen more than the cost of some less nutritious foods, so that the latter are now relatively more affordable. Conclusions: Consumers, particularly those in very remote locations, need to pay substantially more for basic healthy foods than they did a few years ago. Higher prices are likely to be a barrier to good health among people of low socioeconomic status and other vulnerable groups. Interventions to make basic healthy food affordable and accessible to all would help reduce the high burden of chronic disease.

Objective:To describe the lifestyle‐related chronic disease and risk factor prevalence among Torres Strait Islander people of the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area Health Service District and to compare this information with that available for the general Australian population. Methods:Voluntary community‐based screening for persons aged 15 years and older, including oral glucose tolerance test, anthropometry, health questionnaire, measurement of lipids and lipoprotein levels, blood pressure and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio. Results:Nine communities participated in screening between 1993 and 1997. Five hundred and ninety‐two participants (286 male and 306 female) identified as Torres Strait Islander. There were high prevalences of overweight (30%), obesity (51%), abdominal obesity (70%), diabetes (26%), hypercholesterolaemia (33%), albuminuria (28%), hypertension (32%) and tobacco smoking (45%). Only 8.5% of men and 6.5% of women were free of any cardiovascular risk factors (abdominal obesity, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, smoking, diabetes, albuminuria). Comparisons of this information for Torres Strait Islander people with results from the AusDiab survey show rates of obesity three times higher and diabetes six times higher than for other Australians. Conclusions:There is a very high prevalence of preventable chronic disease and associated risk factors among Torres Strait Islander people of the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area. Implications:Effective interventions to prevent and manage obesity, diabetes and associated cardiovascular risk factors are essential if the health of the Torres Strait Islander people is to improve. Such interventions could inform initiatives to stem the burgeoning epidemic of obesity and diabetes among all Australians.

Australians, no matter where they live, need access to affordable, healthy food. Issues of food security in the face of rising food costs are of concern particularly in the current global economic downturn. There is an urgent need to nationally monitor, but also sustainably address the factors affecting the price of healthy foods, particularly for vulnerable groups who suffer a disproportionate burden of poor health.

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The National Indigenous Australians Sexual Health Strategy 1996-97 to 1998-99 provided the impetus and resources to assess the health of the large population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in rural and remote communities in northern Queensland, Australia. This paper describes the development, implementation and results of a community based screening program designed to detect and treat sexually transmissible infections and a range of non-communicable conditions and attendant risk factors. The Well Person's Health Check, conducted between March 1998 and December 2000,demonstrated a high prevalence of largely preventable health problems and initiated the development of a sustainable early detection strategy for the region.

Serum carotenoids are inversely associated with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose metabolism. Randomized trials of diets high in carotenoid-rich vegetables and fruit are needed to confirm these results and those from other observational studies. Such evidence would have very important implications for the prevention of diabetes.

Serum carotenoids are inversely associated with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose metabolism. Randomized trials of diets high in carotenoid-rich vegetables and fruit are needed to confirm these results and those from other observational studies. Such evidence would have very important implications for the prevention of diabetes.

Poor diet including inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience a disproportionate level of preventable chronic disease and successful strategies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote areas to consume more fruit and vegetables can help address health disadvantage. Healthy Choice Rewards was a mixed methods study to investigate the feasibility of a monetary incentive: store vouchers, to promote fruit and vegetable purchasing in a remote Australian Aboriginal community. Multiple challenges were identified in implementation, including limited nutrition workforce. Challenges related to the community store included frequent store closures and amended trading times, staffing issues and poor infrastructure to support fruit and vegetable promotion. No statistically significant increases in fruit or vegetable purchases were observed in the short time frame of this study. Despite this, community members reported high acceptability of the program, especially for women with children. Optimal implementation including, sufficient time and funding resources, with consideration of the most vulnerable could go some way to addressing inequities in food affordability for remote community residents.