Grey Power June 2016

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20 national Greypower mAGAZINE » june 2016 How local neighbourhoods can raise your obesity risk Where you live and how you view your neighbourhood is strongly related to your health behaviour and your risk of developing obesity, according to research published recently. A cross-European team of researchers have reported the results of a fouryear €3.7m study which investigated the nature of local neighbourhoods using self-reported perceptions of the environment and objective measures based on Google Street View, along with estimates of individual health behaviours and social integration and community support. The results showed that many of these measures are linked to health behaviour and risk of developing obesity. Analysing data from nearly 6000 people living in Paris, London, Ghent, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Budapest, SPOTLIGHT Project – Sustainable prevention of obesity through integrated strategies This research has broken new ground in its use of online street views to assess the characteristics of a neighbourhood, as related to eating and physical activity behaviours” said Professor Jean-Michel Oppert, Professor of Nutrition at Pitie-Salpetriere University Hospital (Paris). "We have validated the online measure against real in-street data collection and found a high level of concordance in the scores. Using online tools can greatly reduce the costs of research and increase access to valuable information, giving us new ways to describe our neighbourhoods and new ideas for designing better ones.” T H E WO O L C O M P A N Y the researchers found that levels of physical activity, self-rated health, happiness and neighbourhood preference were associated with how residents perceived and used their neighbourhood. Residents of socio-economically deprived areas perceive their neighbourhood as less conducive to healthy behaviours than residents of more affluent areas. The presence of food outlets, outdoor recreation facilities, and green spaces also varied significantly between the cities. Higher levels of social network and social cohesion were associated with better self-rated health, lower odds of obesity and higher fruit consumption, although these social factors were also associated with longer periods spent sitting and less transport-related physical activity. The best neighbourhoods are those which have the facilities to support good health and also can encourage social networking and community support. The research project included a survey of people’s descriptions of the boundaries of their residential neighbourhood. Participants were provided with a map and asked to draw their neighbourhood limits using a web-based tool. The survey found that older adults defined smaller neighbourhoods than younger adults; women “Urban planners and policy makers have a responsibility to ensure that the neighbourhoods they design and the facilities and businesses that the neighbourhoods contain will promote healthy behaviour, and is protective against unhealthy behaviours” said lead researcher Jeroen Lakerveld of the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. “It could save millions of Euros in health care costs if health promotion focuses on upstream determinants of healthy behaviours, including healthy food purchases and greater physical activity. The best neighbourhoods are those which have the facilities to support good health and also can encourage social networking and community support.” generally defined smaller neighbourhoods than men, while respondents with higher levels of education reported larger self-defined neighbourhoods. “It is possible that younger residents, men and residents with higher education experience greater mobility or live in places with greater access to urban opportunities such as services, transport and social activities, thereby increasing the space where activities are performed” said Professor Oppert. “We also found that across the five urban areas studied, the length of residence was positively associated with the size of self-defined neighbourhood,” he added. “This is possibly because longer residency was associated with more social activities and relationships in the neighbourhood and higher awareness of local facilities. Again, this has significance for showing that where we live affects our health behaviours and outcomes such as obesity. These issues are important for architects and urban planners designing residential areas.” The research is published in a series of papers in a special issue of the scientific journal Obesity Reviews. “This collection of papers provides a robust evidence base for policymakers,” said the issue coeditor, Dr Harry Rutter of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “It provides the latest systematic reviews of the literature along with new survey data and analyses across a range of European urban neighbourhoods. We have known for some years that where a person lives will affect their health, and now we can see more clearly exactly how that happens in practice, and what we need to do about it.” Obesity Reviews special issue: The SPOTLIGHT project (Vol 17, Supplement 1) is published at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467- 789X Contact details Dr Jeroen Lakerveld j.lakerveld@vumc.nl / communicatie@VUmc.nl Professor Jean-Michel Oppert jean-michel.oppert@ aphp.fr Dr Harry Rutter harry. rutter@lshtm.ac.uk / press@lshtm.ac.uk / +44(0)2079272802 SPOTLIGHT website: www. spotlightproject.eu 50095 Folding mobility scooters • Foldable • Reliable • Strong • Affordable www.supascoota.co.nz • pH: 0800 188 877 E: citymobility.nz@gmail.com • P: alan 021 433 038 ask about our Home demonstration
national Greypower mAGAZINE » june 2016 21 Vesta’s sensational discounted medical Advertorial offer is expanding Grey Power’s newly elected vicepresident, Mac Welch, was an integral part of developing what is becoming a major coup for its members – medical insurance with permanent discounts of between 35% and 50%. In September 2015, Mac met with Vesta Cover Limited to discuss possible solutions for one of the biggest issues for older New Zealander’s – escalating medical insurance premiums that could seem designed to push people out when they need their cover most. Some members were experiencing increases in premiums of more than 40% between age 60 and 65. The result being that they have been forced to either cancel or seriously downgrade their cover. Working with Bryan Tucker from Vesta, Mac negotiated a deal where Vesta stripped out all of the commissions normally paid to the insurance broker and achieved a permanent 35% discount. When comparing with some competitor policies the savings have been more than 50%. Mac was keen to ensure that there was a substantial insurance company providing the cover and that the policy benefits were comprehensive. Vesta is confident it has chosen well in selecting Partners Life as the provider of this medical cover. Partners Life is a multi-award winning New Zealand insurer considered to be particularly strong with excellent ratings for product quality, innovation and pricing. Their medical policy wordings score very highly according to two independent research companies. You can visit the Partners Life website at www.partnerslife. co.nz . To make these discounts possible Vesta initially planned to charge a one-off Costly medical insurance premiums holding you down? It’s time to jump to it! If you’ve never had medical insurance or you’re finding the premiums just too high you need to talk to us. Vesta is offering Grey Power members comprehensive medical insurance for a permanent discount of 35%. For some members with existing cover the saving could be as much as 50%! implementation fee. They’ve now gone one better on the offer and have removed the implementation fee and instead include $20,000 of life/funeral cover. Although this extra cover comes at a cost, the insurance company providing it will take off a further 15% from the Medical Insurance premiums while the life cover is included. And, without sounding like a Ginsu Knife advert… but wait, there’s more! Over the first 12 years of each policy’s life, a further 10% discount will be gradually applied. There is still one major obstacle for some members wanting to take up this unprecedented offer. Unfortunately, the insurer will only accept applications up to (and including) age 70. Vesta is keen to develop an offer for over 70’s but can’t yet find an insurer prepared to supply the cover with the substantial discount. Mac looked at the option for him and his wife Dolly and quickly determined that it was a ‘no-brainer’ option for her. Despite some previous minor health issues these seemed Go to www.vestacover.co.nz for an instant anonymous quote, call us on 0800 283 782 or email us at info@vestacover.co.nz. Grey Power Vice President Mac Welch unlikely to be a major problem for the insurance company. For him, it was a different story. So they decided to move Dolly and keep his cover where it is. Dolly completed the application with the helpful Vesta staff over the phone and had much more affordable cover without exclusions within a matter of weeks. Mac’s advice to members under age 71 is to call Vesta on 0800 283 782 or email them at info@vestacover.co.nz to find out if the deal will work. Their qualified staff are able to provide pricing and discuss the impact of existing health issues over the phone. The other option is to go to the website and get an immediate anonymous quote. Their website address is www.vestacover.co.nz. Now you can extend the offer to your children and grandchildren! Vesta has now developed an equally impressive deal for Grey Power members’ children and grandchildren. Your extended family can now get access to the same permanent discounts when each adult includes some life, trauma or income insurance with their policy. Children under age 21 can be added to an existing adult policy for less than $12 per month! Vesta will also pay the first year’s associate membership fee for any of your extended family wanting to join Grey Power. How do the premiums change in the future with this offer? Your medical insurance premiums usually increase with age, as claims increase and as the cost of medical treatment goes up (medical inflation). Most insurers adjust their premiums year by year until a set age when Age Male non-smoker (Monthly) no further age related increases occur. There are still increases after this point but they relate mainly to claims rate and medical inflation. Here’s how Vesta’s premiums could change for a member starting their policy at age 60. Female non-smoker (Monthly) 60 $152.06 $140.17 65 $183.05 $164.42 70 $219.54 $193.94 75 $240.80 $222.14 80 $269.88 $207.73 85 $294.61 $224.46 90 $299.62 $228.41 95 $299.62 $228.41 100 $299.62 $228.41 These projections assume: P Private Medical Cover with Specialist & Tests. P A $500 excess on Private Medical Cover. P A $250 excess on Specialist & Tests Option. P Includes $20,000 Life Cover (for 10 years from age 60). P Future premium rates cannot be guaranteed. We can only guarantee that you will always pay at least 35% less than the general public for your Private Medical Cover. P Rates don’t include future medical inflation or claims rate increases. Members who have already taken up Vesta’s offer will notice that their premiums are less than is shown here. That’s because the rates above include a price increase that Partners Life has instituted from 1 July 2016. The premium paid by individual policy holders is also dependent upon how long a policy has been in place, the excess selected and how much of the extra 10% discount has been applied. Existing policyholders won’t be affected by the increase until their first policy anniversary. New applicants could still get access to the pre- July 2016 premium rate if they contact Vesta immediately.
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Grey Power June 2016

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