$16m for Livelighter campaign

Cancer Council WA will receive $3.3 million per year for the next five years to run the LiveLighter public health campaign.

The government has funded the LiveLighter campaign since 2012. It was run by the Heart Foundation until Cancer Council WA won the contract two years ago.

Cancer Council WA director of cancer prevention and research Melissa Ledger said the campaign had a positive impact on the community’s health, as well as saving hospitals and the healthcare system money.

Earlier this week, Deakin University released a report commissioned by Cancer Council WA which found the LiveLighter campaign saved the healthcare system $3.2 million per year, as well as other social impacts.

It was estimated to result in 204 health-adjusted life years over the lifetime of the WA population aged 25-49 years old.

According to the report, by 2026, ill health from a high body mass index would cost the government up to $610.1 million in inpatient costs if no action was taken.

Ms Ledger said these findings were based on only one year of the campaign so the impact from sustained investment was likely to be even greater.

“The LiveLighter campaign will continue to pay off as long as government investment in prevention continues,” Ms Ledger said.

“We have a long way to go to bring down WA’s high levels of overweight and obesity and funding for LiveLighter is quite rightly now front and centre.

“However, campaigns like LiveLighter must be complemented by robust policies, such as those that protect children from exposure to the current barrage of unhealthy advertising and fast-food outlets on public transport, TV and digital.”

Deakin University Institute for Health Transformation senior research fellow Jaithri Ananthapavan said while the program had substantial upfront costs, it reached a wide audience and had significant benefits.

Cancer Council WA is ranked as the 24th largest charitable organisation on Data & Insights and had revenue of $23.5 million in the 2020 financial year.