Are Midlife Australians Ready to Implement Lifestyle Medicine to Improve Their Health and Wellbeing? A Cross-Sectional Online Survey

Abstract

This study assessed awareness, acceptability, and readiness to use Lifestyle Medicine (LM) among Australians in midlife (40-65 years). A cross-sectional online survey of Australian adults aged 40-65 years (n = 357) measured awareness and understanding of LM, willingness to use LM for prevention and after diagnosis, barriers to engagement, preferences for support, and readiness to discuss lifestyle change with a health professional. The survey included closed-response items and five open-ended questions. Awareness of the term LM was moderate (56%) and understanding was uneven, with many definitions emphasizing nutrition and exercise. LM was more acceptable for prevention (89.6% agreement) than after a new diagnosis (77%). Most participants supported discussing LM during routine health checks (75%) and valued personalized advice (85%). Readiness to discuss lifestyle change with a health professional was positive for 61%, while 31% were unsure. Qualitative findings highlighted the importance of timing, trust in clinicians, practical constraints, and ongoing support. Overall, midlife Australians reported strong acceptability of LM, particularly for prevention, but variable awareness and common practical barriers indicate a gap between endorsement and intended action. The findings support further evaluation of brief, personalized LM discussions and scalable follow-up pathways in routine care to determine whether these approaches can improve engagement and help close the knowing-to-doing gap.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 2026 · DOI ↗