What really drives behaviour? | CEO Opinion piece

Why is that we don’t always do the things that we know are good for us? Each year people commit to New Year’s resolutions only to cast them aside months, weeks or even days into the year.

Whether our resolution is to exercise more, lose weight, drink less or invest more time in ourselves, we often seem to pull up short. It is not because we don’t want to achieve these things, but competing priorities may prevent us achieving our goals. The reality is that if we really want to change a behaviour, we need more resolve than simply writing it down, although it is a good start.

As we age, our commitment to positive and healthy ageing becomes even more imperative. Research undertaken for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety indicates that the majority of people want to live well, in their own home, for as long as possible. In order to achieve this, it may be necessary to receive some level of care and support that helps us to be independent at home. By taking personal responsibility for early intervention, having good nutrition and sustaining healthy and active lifestyles, we can help achieve our desired goal.

Preventing illness in the first place is vitally important in maintaining good health, and vaccinations are one of our best defences.

We are extremely fortunate in Australia that we can be vaccinated against diseases such as influenza, polio, tetanus and meningococcal. We also have been given the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and yet the initial take up was slow. How can that be? While the issues with AstraZeneca and challenges with the roll out have contributed to this, they can’t be the only reasons.

People cite lack of time, or the “wait and see” attitude – but we have observed internationally and even with our immediate cross border neighbours that when there is an outbreak, vaccination has proven to be the best defence.

We know what is required to achieve our desired outcomes. Often the only thing in the way is us.