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2009

-20

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The 2009-10 Health Promotion Service Annual Newsletter of Northern Sydney Central Coast Health

PHONE 1800 059 561

CONTENTSEDITORIAL

ENVIRONMENTS FOR HEALTH

SCHOOLS TAG ALONG

OUT OF THE BLUE

YOU JUST DON’T SMOKE AROUND HOSPITALS

SUCCESS BUILDS ON UNDERAGE DRINKING

GROG GOGGLES TO REVEAL REALITY

SNACK ATTACK STRIKES

SCHOOLS READY TO GROW

LIVING WELL SHARED

H2O IS THE WAY TO GO

A HEALTHY RESULT

KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE

NEWS IN BRIEF

From Gosford in the north to Ryde in the west, across the North Shore to Manly, Health Promotion put out a call for all beginner, unsure and lapsed bicycle riders to get ‘Back on their Bikes.’

And get back on their bikes they did!

Over 260 people rolled up to Health Promotion’s cycling workshops that were funded through the Australian Better Health Initiative (ABHI), ‘How do you Measure up’ Campaign. Workshops were designed to increase incidental physical activity levels and importantly to promote & support cycling as an active, healthy & sustainable form of transport.

Workshops were run in small groups by an accredited Austcycle trainer and offered new and not so new cyclists the opportunity to regain some of the important cycling skills and confidence they thought may have disappeared forever, or even develop skills they never thought possible.

One type of workshop on offer was the Get Back On Your Bike cycling skills workshop that taught participants the essential skills required for cycling and offered plenty of tips about safe cycling. Topics included bike safety principles, bike handling skills, road safety skills, traffic awareness, basic bike maintenance and puncture repair.

Kylie raved about completing a recent skills workshop, “I have a bike but I just didn’t have the confidence to use it. Now I go riding with my husband and young children on weekends. We love the pathways and the kids especially love discovering new things, like the many great playgrounds along the way.”

“One thing I didn’t think of before the course but really enjoy now is being able to leave the car at home and pedal down to the local shops for things like bread and milk or sometimes meet a friend for coffee,” said Kylie.

(Continued on page 3)

Measure Up 4 Cycling … and they’re back on their bikes!

How E-asy it is to cycle!

major hospitals throughout the area.

in partnership with NSW Department of Planning, Gosford City Council and NBNTV.

Bicycle NSW, RTA, NSW Transport & Infrastructure, Central Coast Touring Cycling Club & Gosford BUG.

Behind the Scenes!

2 Action4Health

This years’ Action 4 Health contains some stories on transport, physical activity, food service, falls prevention, tobacco, and alcohol.

These are all topics where we tell people to ‘be good and be careful’, ‘do the right thing,’ ‘look after yourself’, ‘do it safely and responsibly’, ‘quit’, or ‘make healthy choices’. And there is no doubt that a well educated, thoughtful, knowledgeable person is likely to be a healthier person.

But there is also another common theme in those topics. It’s about how our society is organised. How have we, deliberately or inadvertently, for all ‘good reasons’ designed the environment in which we people live, work, and play?

Ask yourself a few questions. How high was the fence around my school? How did I usually get to my primary school? Compared with my parents, do I spend more or less time travelling to work? Do I spend more time sitting down at work? Do I spend more time at work? Am I more fearful of crime? Is litigation a greater concern? How often do I eat takeaway food?

On just the first two of those, most people over 35 probably said there was no fence or a low one and the grounds were free to play on after school, and certainly most kids did not go to school by private car ( but it’s the majority now); walking, cycling or catching public transport instead.

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Good reasons – but are they good for health?

These changes always have ‘good’ reasons behind them - time constraints, fear of crime or safety concern - but the unintentional result is the creation of an environment that promotes obesity.

Of course another ‘good reason’ is business or profit, but is proliferation of liquor outlets at all times of the night and day a good thing for health?

Would unrestricted tobacco advertising, removal of high taxes, and allowing sales to all age groups be good for health?

On the other hand, design of safe public places without slippery and uneven surfaces certainly helps reduce fall injuries.

So Health Promotion has an underlying theme in much of its work – good public health policy. This may be about pushing for healthy design in big new suburbs. At a smaller level it may be opposing yet another fence to close off a public oval or yet another liquor outlet in a locality.

And we certainly ask that decision makers – from local groups like schools or sports clubs, to workplaces, right up to international treaties – consider ‘unintentional health consequences’ when they’re busy doing something in their own specific area of authority for ‘good reasons’.

Doug Tutt

Action4Health 3

“After completing the course, participants are definitely better prepared to cycle off-road on the ever expanding network of shared paths and bike paths in their local area,” enthused Melissa.

So, if you have a bike that is just sitting there, hop on ... it’s never too late to learn new skills, discover a new interest and meet new people.

Melissa Palermo

(Continued from the cover)

Coordinator of Measure Up 4 cycling, Melissa Palermo is a great believer in the benefits of cycling.

“Cycling is a great activity that allows you to travel at your own pace, guarantees plenty of interaction with the surrounding environment, has minimal environmental impact and best of all, helps you to keep fit, healthy and enjoy life.”

But, clearly there are many people out there in the community who know they need to do something about their health, like wanting to ride a bike but just don’t quite have the confidence.

“That’s why these workshops were about building that confidence by equipping people with the knowledge and skills to get back on their bike” said Melissa.

While gaining confidence in actually riding a bike was the key behind the skills workshops, the Bike Maintenance Workshops were an opportunity for riders to learn how to ensure their bikes were safe in the first place.

Bicycle maintenance trainer, Keith Griffin, said these workshops taught participants about the importance of maintenance for safety when cycling.

“Just as you would regularly service your car, it is important to preserve your bicycle as well,” Keith said.

“Whether new to cycling or a regular cyclist, learning bicycle maintenance skills can give people more confidence to take up cycling, help to remove barriers they may have and encourage them to swap their car for their bike, even for small local journeys,” explained Keith.

To support participants to ‘Get Back on their Bikes’ Health Promotion gave those attending the workshops cycling incentive backpacks which included cycle computers, local cycle maps, fact sheets on safe cycling tips, healthy food cookbooks and information about maintaining a healthy waist measurement.

Staff at Manly Hospital now have access to two ‘E-Bikes’ for short work trips - a healthy and greener alternative to fleet cars.

The E-Bikes are power assisted bicycles. They were launched on the 16th December and available to staff members wishing to improve their health, reduce their carbon footprint, avoid parking dilemmas or simply enjoy riding a bicycle ‘on the job’.

Melissa Palermo, Health Promotion Officer at Manly Hospital, said: “The E-Bikes give staff an opportunity to incorporate physical activity into their work schedule.”

“They are great for short trips and the electric motor provides the extra power to help peddle up steep hills in our area,” she said.

The E-Bikes are part of a larger Health Promotion active transport strategy on the Northern Beaches called ‘Go Active 2 Work’.

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Over the past few years NSCCAHS Health Promotion has focused action towards the health impacts of urban development and living. This shift in focus is largely due to the rapidly growing body of evidence showing that a long-term pattern of poor urban development has been a key contributor to health problems relating to obesity, tobacco and alcohol consumption. In terms of transport alone about 90% of all urban passenger kilometres are in a private motor vehicle and conversely only about 10% of all trips are through active modes of travel, including public transport.

That’s where Health Promotion has stepped into action with these two projects:

Through the project Urban Planning 4 Health Northern Sydney Central Coast Population Health staff comment on development proposals to create environments supportive of an active, healthy lifestyle. To support this activity the service has developed the Urban Planning 4 Health Guidelines.

The Guidelines provide a summary of the key areas that can be influenced in development proposals, key recommendations for letters of submissions, links to other documents and publications from which further information can be obtained.

Health Promotion Officer Nigel Tebb said, “the guidelines have been extremely useful for commenting on a number of recent development proposals.”

“What is exciting is that we are now seeing changes to some of these plans consistent with our recommendations,” added Nigel.

A copy of the UP4Health Guidelines can be found at www.nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au/healthpromotion

Nigel Tebb

Environments 4 HealthExamples of plans that submissions have been made on to date are:

Masterplan

Masterplan

Action4Health 5

With such dependence on motor vehicles for day to day travel to and from work, as well as for actual work purposes, the opportunities for people to be physically active during the day are few and far between. As a result, the Health Promotion team have been ‘active’ in piloting the Go Active 2 Work project through the Northern Beaches Health Service (NBHS), with the aim of increasing use of active transport options among its 1200 workforce.

Paul Klarenaar, Northern Beaches Health Promotion Manager cites the development of the the NBHS Workplace Travel Plan 2009-12 as the foundation for the project’s success to date.

“Without the health service’s endorsement of the plan, we wouldn’t have achieved what we have been able to so far,” said Paul.

The achievements that Paul alludes to include the start of the Manly Hospital Bicycle Fleet, the development of a NSCCAHS Bicycle Policy, installation of bicycle parking infrastructure, the development of a Manly Hospital Transport Access Guide, piloting of an inter-hospital shuttle bus service and bicycle workshops for staff and the community.

“It’s great that we have been able to do all of this and get our staff and visitors a little bit more active.”

Visit www.nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au/healthpromotion for a copy of the NBHS Workplace Travel Plan 2009-12

Paul KlarenaarPaul Klar

Visit our website for a copy

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St Charles Primary School in Ryde has been the latest school to launch Go Active 2 School at their school. They join Holy Cross Primary School who started the program the previous year.

Launched on the 10th September at the school’s assembly, students were joined by Ryde Councillor Roy Maggio, Wests Tiger’s mascot Stripes and the football team’s reserve grade players. Each participating student also received a Go Active 2 school pack to help them stay safe and encourage them to be more active.

Go Active 2 School (GA2S) is a joint project between Health Promotion, Ryde City Council and participating schools. It targets parents and students and aims to increase the number of students walking to and from school.

“One of the key items given to families is a Transport Access Guide (TAG) as it shows how to get safely to and from the school as well as the facilities that driving parents use like ‘Park & Walk’,” said Health Promotion Officer, Alex Fox.

The TAGs have been specifically developed for individual schools based on a walkability audit done for the project.

Schools TAG AlongAccording to Alex, some of the great achievements resulting from GA2S have been council rangers helping to make parking conditions safer and electronic display units being used on surrounding streets to promote safer road use.

“Even repairs to footpaths and trimming of overhanging vegetation have been done as a result of promoting the walkability audit results.”

“But probably the most significant safety outcome so far is the 100m extension by the RTA to the 40km/h school zone.”

The school’s enthusiastic promotion of active and safe travel to families and students such as newsletters and classroom activities has resulted in a great school transformation. A once empty school bus is now usually full and more students are walking to school instead of being driven. The GA2S safety vests are also a regular sight around the playground.

School Principal, Christine Hingerty said the program was a great initiative.

‘‘We are only too happy to support such an important health and safety campaign,’’ Mrs Hingerty said.

With such success in the current schools, more are joining the project. Go Active 2 School ground work,

such as the walkability audits, travel to school surveys and Transport Access Guides, are already underway at West Ryde, Ryde and Putney primary schools. Work will also start soon with Eastwood, Eastwood heights and North Ryde Primary Schools.

Alex Fox

St. Charles PS students now get to Go Active 2 School

Action4Health 7

Out of the Blue‘Safe drinking’ messages may soon be beamed to a mobile phone near you when you next visit your local pub!

That’s because Health Promotion has tested a new way of getting health messages to young people through the use of Bluetooth™ technology.

Over one week in November Macquarie Health Promotion, in partnership with Epping Hotel, ran a trial of the innovative messaging concept to send patrons information on drinking alcohol safely and responsibly whilst on the Hotel’s premises.

Patrons with BluetoothTM enabled on their mobile phones received the message to ‘Go Slow’ and to remember to drink water whilst consuming alcohol. Patrons received free bottled water if they showed the message to bar staff.

The Bluetooth™ application on phones uses a radio frequency to send and receive messages. The most familiar use of Bluetooth technology that some people are familiar with is wireless headsets used while driving.

Health Promotion Officer, Carly Haynes said, “This is the first time we have used Bluetooth™ to communicate a health message, so it’s quite exciting.”

“And with the 18-25 year old group being more comfortable with modern technology like this, it really fits well with the alcohol messages we are trying to reach them with.”

According to the NSW Population Health Survey 2007 risk drinking and high risk drinking among 16-24 year olds in the Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service area are higher than the NSW average. The aim of the project was to reduce alcohol related harm among young

people by increasing their participation in safer alcohol consumption practices.

The licensee of Epping Hotel, Jim Granger, said it is an “innovative” way to get the message out to patrons.

“Nearly everyone who has a mobile phone has access to Bluetooth™, so it could become a highly effective way of getting important messages out to patrons,” he said.

As Bluetooth™ messaging is an ‘opt-in’ service, it relies on mobile phone users to accept the message. So it does test workers’ ability to encourage patrons to do that.

The Epping Hotel trial resulted in 32% of people who ‘actioned’ the message, accepting it. Of those, 69% went to the bar to collect their free bottled water.

Carly Haynes

Although promising, there is still a long way to go before Bluetooth™ technology is a standard tool in Health Promotion’s toolbox.

Technologically Challenged:Some of the challenges of Bluetooth™ messaging:

message

Stop PressThe Eastwood Gladesville

Liquor Accord has received a $20,000 grant from the

Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AERF) for their project to

reduce alcohol-related harm among young people on and around licensed premises in

the local area.

The project will be implemented over the summer holidays of 2010/2011 using a range of strategies, including Bluetooth™. Keep your eyes

on your phone!

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However, anger about being forced to endure cigarette smoke at entrances to hospitals is growing, reflected in official complaints.

“No-one should have their child’s asthma or broncheolitis made worse by having to get through smoke at Emergency Department entrances,” states Doug.

New ways of improving compliance are being tried at Gosford and Wyong Hospitals with a view to extending them across the Area. There is considerable interest too from the Centre for Health Advancement in NSW Health about the possibility for use in other Areas.

Key features are new signs and messages talking to people as they leave our buildings, exit car parks or use our courtesy transport; audio messages at main entrances; new cards for staff to use in talking to people and a trial of smoker related merchandise; increasing Nicotine Replacement Therapy availability on Wards; having NRT available to the public on our sites for the first time; a large mural at Gosford to highlight protection of children, and environmental changes to reduce smoking related litter.

Doug Tutt

YOU JUST DON’T SMOKE AROUND HOSPITALS.It’s obvious that smoking just doesn’t fit in some places.

There’s no place for smoking anywhere at children’s schools or playgrounds; or anywhere concerned with health, like hospitals.

Northern Sydney Central Coast Health has been totally smoke free since late 2007, in line with all NSW Health facilities. This means buildings, cars, official events, and our grounds are smoke free.

“Anyone wanting to smoke must leave our grounds”, says Doug Tutt, Area Director of Health Promotion.

“While we’ve had great support and high compliance from staff, we still struggle with public cooperation,” he said.

One of the problems is that the ‘audience’ is always changing, according to Doug.

“We have thousands of different people visiting us. Community expectation that inside buildings is smokeless has grown in recent years, but we have a way to go on outdoor places.”

Gosford Hospital’s new smoke free mural sends the right message.

Action4Health 9

Most recent large scale survey figures show continuing success in reducing underage drinking, with only about one in five teens having drunk alcohol “in the past week”.

Six years ago this was one in three.

Nearly a decade ago, Central Coast Health Promotion embarked on joint efforts with local police on secondary supply of alcohol, targeting those who get the alcohol for kids. Eventually, after various frustrations, this work, “Supply Means Supply”, went State wide this year with police taking the leading role in a TV and local media effort across NSW, combined with enforcement.

Success builds on underage drinkingAccording to Doug Tutt, Area Director of Health Promotion both local and State figures indicate that in recent years, parents especially have got the message that there is no safe drinking level for minors and that delaying uptake is a good thing to do.

Victorian work, confirmed by local analysis, now highlights that those who buy their own alcohol, no questions asked, are by far the heaviest and the binge drinkers. “Tobacco retailers have changed their behaviour in checking ID and it has led to big drops in teen smoking,” said Doug. “It’s time alcohol outlets got just as tough about supply.”

A new approach to the demand side of teen drinking using ‘social norms theory’ is about to be tried in partnership with Central Coast High Schools.

“This undoes the non-existent peer group that can be created with the belief that ‘everyone drinks’,“ explained Doug. “Web based questions about alcohol will highlight to 13 -17 year olds that most of their age group either don’t drink or drink very little. Research with slightly older ages in the US and UK indicate this can be successful in moving some of the drinkers back to the norm for their peers.”

Doug Tutt

Using ‘grog goggles’ to help year 9 students understand the effects of alcohol on basic everyday functions (like walking), reviews of alcohol advertising and a trivia event have been chosen by Manly Selective SRC students at a local Youth Decide Forum to combat youth alcohol issues.

The Youth Decide Forum, held on the 12 March on the Northern Beaches, is a partnership project between Manly Council, Northern Beaches Health Promotion, Warringah Council and Department of Education and Training.

Thirty one students from 9 local high schools came together to take leadership in developing their own projects to address harm related to alcohol. Although the majority of young people do not engage in risky drinking behaviours, the issue of alcohol-related harm is evident in our community and can still affect them.

Charged with information about health promotion concepts, project management and ways to address alcohol related harm, students brainstormed ideas to put into action plans to take back and implement in their schools. Once action plans are finalised, schools receive a grant of up to $500 per school to fund their projects.

“The Youth Decide Forum was a great experience for all those involved,” said Sian Liddy, student at Manly Vale Selective Campus.

“It highlighted the various dangers associated with binge drinking and what we, as active members of both school and local community, can do to help stop it.”

“Most importantly, we were given the guidance necessary to form an effective campaign for the schools,” explained Sian.

The forum offered a unique opportunity for young people to demonstrate their passion, interest and local knowledge of the issues faced by them according to Kate Munro, Youth Development Officer, Manly Council.

“It also showed their willingness to come up with ways to tackle the issues that may face their friends and peers,” said Kate.

Students are now hard at work using the skills they learned to bring their project to reality and make a difference in their school or local community.

Eve Clark

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Next time a snack attack strikes and you reach for a selection at one of the many vending machines located at health facilities across Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service (NSCCAHS) you’ll more than likely be satisfying your hunger with a healthy option – whether you know it or not!

Over the past 12 months Health Promotion has worked closely with Corporate Services (NSCCAHS) to educate and support Vending Franchise Owners in making required changes to provide healthier vending products as part of the Live Life Well @ Health (LLW@H) Program.

Under LLW@H, foods are assessed according to a colour code nutrition standard. Healthy foods and drinks are GREEN, less healthy foods are AMBER, and foods with the least nutritional value are coded RED. The Program requires that 80% of foods offered for sale are GREEN or AMBER, so there’ still some of the traditional snacks available that people like to have on occasion.

According to Susan Dumbrell, Public Health Nutritionist, ensuring vending machines meet the standard has been very challenging.

“With over 700 vending machine products to review to date, it has taken some time to sort out which ones are OK to include,” said Susan.

“Many snack foods such as fruit and nut bars may seem healthy but in fact are loaded with sugar and/or fat.”

Corporate Services’ Sue-Ellen Douglass praised the work of the vending contractor and franchise owners in modifying what’s on offer in their machines.

“This has meant them replacing some items altogether or changing the packet sizes to fit within the nutrition criteria,” said Sue-Ellen.

“One of their own initiatives has been to launch a new range of healthy snacks.”

Darren Mitchell, a vending franchise owner is happy with the changes.

“The new healthy fruit and nut mix is a winner. It’s so popular I was asked by a customer if they could buy a whole box,” said Darren.

Live Life Well @ Health is a state-wide initiative that promotes an increase in the amount of healthy food and drink offered for sale at all health facilities’ retail outlets. Specially designed Health Promotion materials have also been used to assist staff buy-in to LLW@H and choose healthier options.

However, it’s the successful partnership between NSCCAHS and the food industry that has meant that this Area has led the way with healthier vending under the LLW@H Program.

So, even if you don’t know that your next vending machine snack is a healthier one, relax, we’ll keep working to ensure that it more than likely is.

Susan Dumbrell

SNACK ATTACK STRIKES

Susan, Darren & Sue-Ellen offer up healthier vending machine snacks.

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Action4Health 11

Nineteen schools and preschools in the Manly and Warringah areas have been inspired to start or improve their school food gardens as part of the Ready, Set, Grow program being implemented on the Northern Beaches.

A partnership between Northern Beaches Health Promotion, Kimbriki Eco House & Garden, and Manly Sea Eagles, the program aims to introduce students to vegetables and fruit and how they are grown. By experiencing the wonders of planting to eating, the program hopes students see fruit and vegetables as a normal and fun part of healthy eating.

“Many schools are now realising the value of having a school food garden, but may need support with the practical side of it,” said Health Promotion Officer, Eve Clark.

“That’s where this program comes into play.”

Schools attended workshops in March and June at Kimbriki Eco House & Garden to learn how to grow a successful fruit and vegetable garden. Session topics included composting, worm farms, no-dig gardens and on how to use school gardens to teach students about growing and eating healthy food whilst looking after the environment.

Participants also received garden start up packs, which included vouchers to redeem for visits from experts for further customised support down the track.

Peter Rutherford from Kimbriki Eco House & Garden, who led the sessions, said the most important first step for a

school to take is to establish a well structured and managed composting system for all food waste generated in the school.

“Once composting is established it becomes a key to feeding and maintaining an edible organic garden and teaches the importance of managing our own waste,” explained Peter.

Workshop participants found the session useful and were excited to put their new found knowledge into practice and to get a vision for how their school garden could come together.

Schools in the Pittwater area are now being offered the opportunity to Ready, Set and Grow.

Eve Clark

Manly Mayor & Sea Eagles Get Set to Grow at Little Dove Child Care Centre - Fairlight.

Local primary schools continue to join the Live Life Well @ School project, with 56 NSCCAHS schools now participating in this Department of Education and NSW Health partnership.

‘Teachers attending the professional development workshops receive updates and ideas for nutrition and physical activity programs, and come away enthused with ideas in an Action Plan to improve the health of their students,’ explained Jane Whatnall, Area Coordinator of Live Life Well @ School.

‘We have also held a number of Sharing Workshops for schools one year into this program, and are hearing about all the great work being done in these schools.’

In Term 1, 2010 almost 10,000 students in 77 primary schools across NSCCAHS participated in a NEW activity called Q4:H20 to promote healthy drinks to Stage 2 (years 3 & 4) students and their families.

“This activity challenges children and families to act on what they know about making healthy drink choices in a fun way,” said Doug Tutt, Area Director of Health Promotion.

Students are encouraged to choose water and reduced fat milk to meet their fluid requirements. Each student received a student card to record their drinks over one week. They then tallied points and see where they could improve. Certificates and incentives were then presented to participating students.

Living Well Shared

H20… IS THE WAY TO GO!

Health Promotion and Nutrition staff provide ongoing support to teachers by attending school staff meetings and P&C meetings, and providing a range of resources and expertise. Popular local projects such as Q4:Live Outside the Box Mini Passport, the new Q4:H20 Healthy Drink Activity, Central Coast PDHPE Network, Canteen Networks and Northern Sydney Seeding Grants are well received by schools.

‘Our local schools are also involved in statewide programs such as Crunch & Sip fruit break and Fruit and Veg Week activity, which demonstrates how they are putting all these ideas into practice,” said Jane.

Jane Whatnall

Using a ‘whole of school’ approach, teachers were also supported in getting healthy drink messages to families with a range of resources and information, including background information, newsletter items, posters, plus classroom activities using the new technology of Interactive Whiteboard lessons.

In 33 of the Central Coast schools, the school canteen also supported the activity running a promotion for water and reduced fat milks using a ‘loyalty card’ system.

A recent report on soft drinks, weight status and health (2009) has revealed that soft drinks are consumed in large quantities by large proportions of the

population. These drinks provide no nutrition - only sugar and fluid, with one cup containing around 6 teaspoons of sugar. Higher soft drink consumption among children and adolescents is also associated with a decline in milk consumption.

This initiative also supports the year round Crunch & Sip program which promotes eating fruit or vegetable and sipping water during a break in the school day.

“We should congratulate our schools for being so active in this very important health issue,” said Doug Tutt.

Q4:H20 resources are available on www.healthpromotion.com.au

Jane Whatnall

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Action4Health 13

A Healthy ResultCentres of AttentionElanora Heights Community Kindergarten has shown that having a plan really helps. Through their Munch and Move ‘Making it happen’ plan, the kindergarten has been able to:

St. Stephens Preschool has also been able to make lots of positive changes since joining Munch and Move, such as:

tea café

Bright Star Pre School have been very productive in reinforcing the Munch and Move messages, for example:

new foods they hadn’t seen or tasted before

As a result parents now report children helping with shopping and food preparation.

Also joining the list of preschools doing great things through Munch and Move is KU Grandstand Preschool. This preschool has been able to:

student also receives a Munch and Move lunch cooler and lunch box insert)

leaping skills

Seventy one preschools across Northern Sydney & Central Coast Area are now part of the Munch and Move program.

Munch and Move is a fun, play-based program for staff and carers working directly with children in early childhood services across NSW. Participating preschools receive training, resources (for teachers and parents), policy guidance and ongoing support and advice.

One of the keys to the success of Munch and Move at a centre is ongoing support, advice and encouragement from Health Promotion. Over the past year participating centres have been supported through quarterly newsletters, emails and phone support to help start and run healthy strategies for the children.

As a result local preschools have demonstrated that making changes to increase physical activity, healthy eating and limiting small screen time for children can be achieved.

Elissa Rao

Keeping the Dream Alive

Stay On Your Feet’s Feats

been given out.

given (including 5 to groups that speak a language other than English).

That’s over 4000 seniors and 227 health service providers hearing the falls prevention message

Stay On Your Feet Community Register to receive updates on falls prevention information and events.

expos that Stay On Your Feet ran or were co-sponsors. In fact, the 2007 Active Mind Active Body Expo won Hunter’s Hill Council’s “Best Community Event” award.

fact sheets have been translated into 7 community languages. This resource was awarded a certificate of commendation at the Multicultural Health Communication Awards ceremony in 2009. You can access the fact sheets on the Multicultural Health Communication website www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au.

Health Promotion has been able to keep the Stay On Your Feet (SOYF) Project’s falls prevention dream alive for almost a year longer than intended. Originally funded by NSW Health for 3 years in Gosford and Ryde Hunters Hill, the project was extended by our service until April this year.

Although the results of the SOYF evaluation won’t be available until later in 2010, the project extension meant even more opportunities to spread the falls prevention messages to older people in the community and with other organisations.

In the Gosford area this meant working with the local bus service, Busways, to promote safe bus travel through brochures and posters to passengers and drivers. As a result the brochure produced is now being used Australia wide.

Gosford seniors were also treated to a four week walking challenge, which attracted 188 participants aged 50+.

Keeping the name and ‘brand’ alive in the minds of local Ryde & Hunter’s Hill seniors was the aim behind recent extensive advertising undertaken in the area.

By revisiting the project’s falls prevention issues through local newspaper advertising during the final 3 months, residents received a reminder of the ways they could prevent a fall as well as a last chance to grab a SOYF falls prevention kit.

So with Stay On Your Feet now at an end, it’s now up to the project evaluation processes to really see if the falls prevention dream has been kept alive.

Visit www.healthpromotion.com.au for the latest SOYF newsletter.

Helen Kale

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Mum’s the WordHealth workers in the Dee Why and Wyong areas, who come in contact with new mothers, were the target of Health Promotion’s push to promote NSW Health’s Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service® this year.

The service is a free telephone service staffed by qualified health coaches aimed at supporting adults to make lifestyle changes regarding healthy eating, physical activity, and reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.

Early Childhood Nurses, Immunisation Nurses and General Practitioner’s were given access to a range of materials such as hand towels, brochures, magnets and posters to assist them let new mums know about the service.

In addition to new mothers, the service has also been promoted to the general community through community events, NSCCAHS car fleet signage and incorporation into other Health Promotion projects and activities eg Live life Well @ School, Measure Up 4 Cycling and Active Healthy Workplace activities.

Elissa Rao

news in brief

Action4Health 15

Keeping on TRACThe end of school life is an exciting time for Year 12 students; it’s a time to celebrate the years of dedication and effort that have gone into their education. Some young people stay home to celebrate, while others may go away to ‘Schoolies Week’ activities. Either way young people can suddenly find themselves in risky and dangerous drug and alcohol related situations during this ‘party time’.

To help young people understand the issues they may face, NSW Police (Gladesville and Eastwood LAC), Macquarie Health Promotion and City of Ryde Council piloted TRAC, a program on safe partying, to over 1500 students at eight local high schools at the end of 2009.

The TRAC program, which stands for Think, Responsibility, Actions and Consequences, involved presentations on the laws that affect young people, the risks associated with drugs and alcohol, and tips on how to party safely, so that young people could make informed decisions.

Feedback from students revealed that the program provided them with a greater understanding of their responsibilities, actions and consequences. Of particular news to students were some of the penalties and offences under the liquor and traffic legislation and processes covered in the Young Offenders Act. Even some health effects of drugs and alcohol were unknown to students prior to the program.

Keen to build on the success of the 2009 pilot, TRAC will be rolled out again at the end of 2010 with an extended reach into Ryde, Hunters Hill, Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby local government areas. An adapted version will also be offered to Year 10 students.

Carly Haynes

Sale of Tobacco to MinorsIt is illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18. The Health Promotion Service works with the Public Health Unit to test at least 10% of the tobacco retailers in the NSCCH Area. Pairs of teenage volunteers, usually aged 14 or 15, under adult supervision visit the retailers and attempt to buy cigarettes. They are instructed to be truthful when asked their age and if they have any identification. During the year 2009 to 2010, 155 retailers were tested with only one sale recorded. Long term results show cutting off supply is an effective way of stopping smoking uptake by teens.

Don Cook

16 Action4Health

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Supporting Healthy Fundraising in SchoolsMacquarie Health Promotion has been working with West Pennant Hills Primary School to pilot a healthy fundraising initiative for schools in 2010.

Although motivated to use healthier options, schools often find it hard to go past using more traditional, profitable, but (usually) unhealthy products such as those containing high fat/high sugar for fundraising.

The issues, barriers and practical solutions to encourage the use of healthier food and activity options in the schools’ fundraising activities are currently being identified.

An audit of the fundraising activities at the school prior to action has been undertaken to keep track of how well the school does over time.

To get the healthy fundraising ball rolling, planning of a walkathon and a healthy barbecue with support from a local high school, is underway.

Barbara Humphrey

Merits in the DemeritsThe Central Coast Primary Teachers PDHPE Network had another great year with 162 teacher attendances over 3 workshops. Topics included Practical activities for Teaching about Healthy Eating, Pedometer Activities for Schools, How to Teach Fundamental Movement Skills and Active Transport to School. The active transport workshop was particularly challenging for teachers as they attempted to keep their cycling licences while being assessed by NSW Police at the CARES cycling facility at Ourimbah.

“One of the best things about the workshop is that it leads to wonderful projects with individual schools,” said Network coordinator Jeff Smith.

“Last year we worked with Valley View Primary school to introduce a daily physical activity program. They had some barriers to overcome, but one year later it’s going strong!” said Jeff.

Jeff Smith

Tougher Targets“How much are you spending on cigarettes?” is the question being asked of clients of community welfare organisations in the Wyong area as part of the Tougher Targets Project. The recent rise in the price of cigarettes puts an increased burden on the finances of families living on benefits.

Community organisations are being asked to look at smoking as an equity issue not just a health problem. With the price of a packet of 20 cigarettes at about $12.50 some people are spending up to 20% of their income on smoking. Asking the question about smoking and offering to contact the Quitline can help some to kick the expensive addiction. The Central Coast Health Promotion Unit has produced PhoneGrips which will remind smokers of the true cost of cigarettes.

Don Cook

ACTIVated Families

The Q4: The Coast in Motion - Family ACTIVation Pack (FAPs) project was developed to increase the capacity of parents to make possible quick, easy, fun & affordable active games, contributing to the development of fundamental movement skills by their children & increased physical activity. This project has:

Term 3, 2009

families over the past 3 years

New England Area Health Service in development of their Fundamental Movement Skills resource under the Good For Kids Good For Life project.

the University of Newcastle’s School of Education for their ‘Healthy Dads Healthy Kids’ initiative.

For more information go to: www.healthpromotion.com.au

Nigel TebbTeachers try to avoid demerits points.

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“I’m Hooked”So reported a 94 year old community member after trying out her free exercise DVD provided by Health Promotion.

“After two sessions [I] have gained confidence in walking without a stick,” she said.

The DVD in question was Health Promotion’s Staying Active Staying Safe exercise resource that helps less able and active older people do simple chair-assisted exercises.

An Australian Better Health Initiative (ABHI) grant enabled Health Promotion to promote physical activity to Northern Sydney and Central Coast residents aged 65 and over who were unable to participate in ‘regular’ exercise programs due to a number of reasons.

While subsidised Tai Chi classes were promoted on the Central Coast, it was the promotion of exercise by using the DVD resource that was able to be taken area-wide.

This involved about 8000 DVD packages being distributed to people in need, through community and health based services such as GPs, Aged Care Assessment Teams, Community Nursing, Home and Community Care, Council Aged Care Services etc.

With feedback from recipients such as, “I feel more confident when walking and my balance feels better” and “I am 98 and find it much easier to exercise with the DVD than otherwise”, it appears this project has hit the mark.

Annie Warn

Action4Health 17

Ever tried one of these deals? A Megabite Apple Brainfood meal deal or a Cool Aussie Christmas meal deal? What about a Slip into Summer meal deal which includes a Wipe out wrap pack, mango madness pack & summery salad pack? You haven’t had a taste…well here is your chance.

These and other innovative canteen menus and promotions from Central Coast Canteen Award applicants have been compiled into the Great Ideas for Primary School Canteens 2009 booklet to share with all Central Coast Canteens.

To qualify for the Award, schools were required to complete 4 areas of criteria which included;

promotions i.e. one per term

guidelines.

Beyond the creative and innovative menus, some canteens reviewed food handling procedures, a number introduced regular temperature monitoring of refrigerators, freezers and ovens others replaced red foods to meet the Fresh Taste @ School guidelines

As a result of the inaugural Central Coast Canteen Award launched in 2009 16 Central Coast Schools have received the ‘Bright Green Apple’. These are proudly displayed in prominent locations within the school grounds.

A must have sign for schools to display!

Justine Gowland-Ella

“Slip into Summer ‘Menu Meal deals by Tuggerah PS

bowl with yoghurt or custard

with chicken tender

chicken or ham

tenders with mango slices.

Tasty Meal Deals

Active Healthy Workplace Q4:The Coast in Motion – Active Healthy Workplace (AHW) initiative was designed to raise awareness amongst employers / management & employees of the potentially obesogenic nature of the workplace environment and to highlight whether or not the workplace provides a supportive environment for employees to lead active & healthy working lives. So far we have produced and distributed the AHW checklist to 40 Central Coast based State Government agencies and provided ongoing consultation to workplaces.

“Showcases’ of good practice are now being sought to highlight practical measures other workplaces can take to combat unhealthy overweight.

For more information go to www.healthpromotion.com.au

Nigel Tebb

The Coast in Motion dives in with a win!

18 Action4Health

A voucher for sporting goods to the value of $1,500 was awarded, which has been poured back into purchasing more high visibility caps & tops to keep the swimming community safe from boating traffic.

Nigel Tebb, Central Coast Health Promotion Officer said, “Congratulations to all involved especially the Terrigal ocean swimming community who has enthusiastically taken ownership via the consultation process and by ‘walking the talk’, or in this case ‘swimming the talk’!”

Nigel Tebb

The number of swimmers using the Terrigal Beach/ Haven area has grown significantly in recent years. Boating is also set to increase in the area with the scheduled scuttling of the Ex-HMAS Adelaide for recreational diving purposes.

To optimise everyone’s safety, enjoyment and benefit, NSW Maritime, with financial & resource support from Central Coast Health Promotion and NSW Sport & Recreation and after consultation with users of the waterway;

marker buoys

‘Terrigal Ocean Swimmers’ Code’ which was then posted in prominent places around Terrigal

high visibility swimming caps for swimmers to wear as part of their self imposed ‘Code’.

One year later the ‘Terrigal Ocean Swimmers Code’ has had a champion result at the NSW Sports Safety Awards by winning ‘gold’ in the ‘Regional/ Club’ category for ‘Outstanding Education & Promotion of Safe Sport Practices’.

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Action4Health 19

Canteen networks are supported by Health Promotion to assist schools and Canteen Managers implement the Fresh Tastes @ School NSW Health Canteen Strategy.

Look for the canteen networks at www.healthpromotion.com.au

www.healthpromotion.com.au

now featured on the site as well a further twelve associated NSCAHS health promotion activities

o Live Life Well @ School o Canteens section is now area wide o Active Healthy Workplaces o Q4:H20.

1670 unique visitors per month for the first half of the year, to an average of 2180 per month for the second half of the year

Peak traffic was in March and May which had 2746 and 2479 unique visitors respectively.

Web-works

Plugged in and Online

Health Promotion can now be found on Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Services website at: www.nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au/healthpromotion. Learn about our projects, contact your local unit and follow links to more information.

Getting Connected

Northern Beaches School Canteens Network is running as strong as ever with well attended quarterly meetings by interested canteen staff and managers. Activities such as attending the Healthy School Canteen Associations Expo, experiencing cooking shows for tips and canteen visit still prove to be strong draw cards. A recent addition to the network is the availability of network information online.

Joining them online is the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai School Canteen Network. The new web pages give information on meetings, resources and special events eg tours of successful Fresh Tastes Canteens.

Students at Cammeray Public School were treated to a special guest appearance from SBS TV personality Costa Georgiadis from Costa’s Garden Odyssey at their Harvest Festival. The festival is the exciting part of the Coal Loader Vegetable Garden Project (run by Health Promotion, Dept Nutrition-NSCCAHS and North Sydney Council) where students get to pick and eat the produce they have grown.

Students’ Healthy Odyssey

Northern Sydney Central Coast Health Promotion is a member of many local, state and national committees and networks. Our role varies from one committee to another (eg from project planning and implementation to information sharing) but generally it is to contribute a Health Promotion perspective.

Our service is also represented on numerous committees that are part of the Northern Sydney Central Coast Health Service.

The major committee and network representation includes:

Chinese Australian Tobacco and Health Network (CATHN) CATHN represents a network of representatives from Area Health Services across the Sydney Metropolitan area (SESI, SSW, and NSCC) and Cancer Council NSW to undertake joint tobacco projects.

Sydney Food Fairness Alliance Research Group provide support and research for the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance (SFFA), which promotes food security and sustainability issues in the Sydney metropolitan area.

NSW Health Alcohol and Drug Health Promotion Committee attempts to set the State agenda in the field.

NSW Health Equity Practice Network. This statewide group works to increase the application of equity principles into practice.

Australian Health Promoting Schools Association: National association to support health promotion professionals and schools around health promotion.

Statewide Health Networks. A number of statewide networks exist to provide a forum for the dissemination of cutting edge research, sharing information and ideas, reporting on project outcomes and professional development. Health promotion has been represented on the injury, falls prevention, tobacco control, Health Promoting Schools, NSW Population Health Healthy Weight Network and the NSW Health Equity Practice Network. The service is also on a range of state working groups associated with these networks.

Community Drug Action Teams Health Promotion has membership on CDATs across the area. The Teams bring together key agencies, stakeholders and community members to respond to alcohol and other drug related issues in their local government areas.

Liquor Accords The Service also sits on these meetings of licensees and other stakeholders who are committed to taking actions in local community which aims to improve safety in entertainment areas and reduce alcohol-related anti-social behaviour, offences and violence.

Crunch and Sip Program Advisory Group. To aid and assist the implementation of the Crunch&Sip program.

Healthier Food and Drink Choices in NSW Health Facilities - Area Working Group: This group’s role is to oversee issues, develop an action plan, and chart progress relating to the implementation of the above policy directive in NSCCH.

Healthy Kids Technical Advisory Group – guides and supports the Healthy Kids Association in the review of the current Healthy Kids nutrient criteria for food and drinks for children to be promoted in the school canteen, and in the wider retail market.

iCanQuit – Reference group which is guiding a new interactive way of getting QUIT help on-line, developing on the success of the well known Quitline.

PAPERS

Tutt D, Bauer L, Difranza J. Restricting the retail supply of tobacco to minors. Journal Public Health Policy. 2009 April; 30(1):68-82.

Tutt D, Enforcing law on tobacco sales to minors: getting the question and action right.. NSW Public Health Bulletin 2008;19 (11-12), pp 208-211.

Bates A, Donaldson A, Lloyd B, Castell S, Krolik P, Coleman R.Staying alive, staying strong: pilot evaluation of a once-weekly community-based strength training program for older adults. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. 2009;20(1):42-7

Petrunoff N, Lloyd B, Watson N, Morrisey D. Barriers to implementing a structured Fundamental Movement Skills program in long day care centres: a process evaluation. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. 2009;20(1):65-8

Produced by the Northern Sydney Central Coast Health Promotion Service.

For more information ring, Wendy on 4349 4818 or Darryn on 8877 5324.

OCT10 CATALOGUE NUMBER 09099

MAJOR COMMITTEES & NETWORKS

Health Promotion Service Phone: 1800 059 561 Web: www.nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au/healthpromotion

Central Coast Health Promotion UnitOurimbah Centre for Health & Planning, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah CampusPO Box 361, Gosford NSW 2250Telephone: (02) 4349 4800Fax: (02) 4349 4866

Macquarie Health Promotion UnitThe Lodge Macquarie Hospital, Locked Bag 2220North Ryde NSW 1670Telephone: (02) 887 75321Fax: (02) 887 75310

Lower North Shore Health Promotion UnitLevel 3, Bldg 36, Royal North Shore Hospital, Pacific Highway, St.Leonards NSW 2065Telephone: (02) 992 67354Fax: (02) 9906 7529

Northern Beaches Health Promotion UnitBldg 1, East Wing Manly Hospital PO Box 465MANLY NSW 1655Telephone: (02) 9976 9531Fax: (02) 9977 7531

Healthy Lifestyle (Courses)The LodgeMacquarie HospitalLocked Bag 2220North Ryde NSW 1670Telephone: (02) 8877 5300Fax: (02) 8877 5339