Simmone Van BuerleHealthy Communities Coordinator

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND AGEING

NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ON PREVENTATIVE HEALTH

HEALTHY COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE•Pilot Phase (April 2010 – June 2013)•Phase Two (April 2011 – June 2014)•Phase Three (October 2011 – June 2014)

Population characteristicsPopulation 17,000Ageing demographic Multi-cultural community – 22% born overseasIndigenous population 2%

Median personal income

($ per week)

Median household

income ($ per week)

Bridgetown-Greenbushes(S)

$467 $883

Manjimup (S) $493 $912

Nannup (S) $459 $821

Western Australia $662 $1,415

Median weekly personal income and the median weekly household income for this region was lower than the WA median.

Health ProfileHigh levels of overweight and obesityHigh prevalence of Type 2 diabetesTop 3 chronic diseases:

Ischaemic heart diseaseCerebrovascular diseaseGeneral heart disease

Aims of the projectDecrease prevalence of overweight and obesityReduce factors contributing to chronic lifestyle

diseaseIncrease participation in healthy lifestyle

programsDevelop policy

Target group

Individuals not predominately in the paid workforce:UnemployedCALD populationsRetireesPeople with a disability – and their carersAboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people

Target Area

What we aimed to achieve...

1. Increase Knowledge of Healthy Eating & Food Preparation

Cooking and Nutrition workshops

2. Increase uptake of Exercise Opportunities

6 hours of cycle training at various skill levels to teach bike skills and road safety

Small group sizes

Local fitness professionals or cycling enthusiasts were trained as AustCycle coaches

A fleet of two wheeler and three wheeler bicycles were available for loan. Safety helmets were loaned or given to participants.

Tricycles Bicycles

Mountain Biking Courses

Regional trail hub

Munda Biddi Trail

Karri Cup in Northcliffe

8 weekly sessions of:•One Hour of Supervised Group Exercise (low to moderate intensity)•One Hour of Lifestyle education.

Community Fitness Classes

•Term programmes

•Introductory classes

•Local venues/local trainers

•Building sustainability

3. Engage the target group in Gardening

Establish community gardens in each of the 7 target towns

$10,000 start up funding available

Educational goals

Educational workshops

•Information on sustainable, organic and permaculture practices in gardening•Nutritional cooking on a budget•One pot cooking•Healthy Snacks•Worm Farming•Composting •Recycling

4. Create environments supporting Healthy Lifestyles for the Community

Community capacity building

Policy Development

Infrastructure

Training of local staff

•Food Sensations (22)•HEAL (9)•AustCycle (11)•Nordic Walking (10)

The Shire of Manjimup is committed to promoting the health of its community by providing healthy catering options at Shire community and staff events

Marketing methods

Traditional recruitment methods:•Flyers•Paid advertisments•Media releases/editorial•Electronic newsletter (monthly)•FACEBOOK

•Word of Mouth

•GP and Allied Health Referrals

•Partnerships with agencies

12 month Wellness Challenge

Participants register for a Wellness Passport

Collect stamps for completing Healthy Lifestyle Activities

BMI and waist circumference measured at 3 monthly intervals

Healthiest Town AwardGreatest participation ratesLosses in Weight and Waist

Circumference

Healthiest Town AwardHealthiest Town: Northcliffe

Winner: Waist Circumference Loss12 months ago: Now:

Winner: Decrease in BMI12 months ago: Now:

BMI

What next?

Maintenance of health benefits through policy development

Low income of population group makes a user-pay system difficult

Looking for alternative funding sources to continue programmes