opa healthy aus proj plan b

8/7/2019 OPA Healthy Aus Proj Plan b

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www.obesityprevention.com.au

[email protected]


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The Healthy Australia Initiatives are a collection of 7 comprehensive initiatives that Obesity Prevention

Australia has committed to implementing within Australia over the next 40 years to achieve their vision of

positively and directly effecting the health of every single Australian citizen by 2050.

If we are going to solve the obesity epidemic in Australia, what key areas of Australian life need to beaddressed?

If we are going to provide the most comprehensive approach to fighting obesity and metabolic diseasein Australia, leaving no stone unturned in our quest and if money was not an issue, what could/should

we do?

How many Australian lives should we aim to improve?

If these solutions could be as cost effective, empowering and self sustaining as possible, who should

we collaborate with and utilise the skills of to achieve these goals?

These and many more questions were asked during the Obesity Prevention Australia strategic planning

process. And thus, the Healthy Australia Initiatives were born.

The 7 Initiatives are:

1 Healthy Futures Initiative

2 Healthy Lives Initiative

3 Healthy Homes Initiative

4 Healthy Workplaces Initiative

5 Healthy Ageing Initiative

6 Healthy Professionals Initiative

7 Healthy Policy and Media Initiative

The Habits We Create, Determine OUR FUTURE


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The Healthy Futures Initiative has been developed to provide school communities (children,

parents, teachers, local organisations) with a comprehensive and sustainable health model

that integrates seamlessly within each schools current activities and curriculum. It is the

cornerstone and number 1 priority of our 7 Healthy Australia Initiatives and ensures each

school community gains complete ownership of the programs they run. Each section of the

program is tailored towards the individual requirements of the school to ensure manageability

and sustainability. The comprehensive version consists of:

Healthy lifestyle development seminars and workbooks for students

Professional development seminars, classroom resources and continual education for

teachers

HFI facilitator course for key personal within school .

Kick Start 4 health (KS4H) information seminars and family health kits for parents and

guardians

Step by step continual implementation manuals for schools

Themed nutrition week implementation resources and scheduling

School Certification: Schools who complete the program become a recognised Healthyfutures certified school

Canteen reviews

Specifically tailored in curriculum programs that incorporate nutrition education within

key learning outcomes of subjects like maths, English, science etc. This ensures teachers

still have necessary time to focus on key curriculum objectives. (2 birds with one stone)

Reviews and mandatory reporting to ensure sustainability and accountability once we

have finished the hands on phase

DVD and Online resources for teachers, children and parents

Complete support network and monitoring for 3 years

For more information please ask to see the Healthy Futures Initiative Project Plan



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The Healthy Lives Initiative is targeted at positively effecting the individual health and lives of Australian

adults by providing them with information, resources and subsidised hands on healthy lifestyle developmental

programs.

This initiative works closely in conjunction with the Healthy Workplaces Initiative, Healthy Homes Initiative

and the Health Professionals Initiative to provide a comprehensive approach to improving the health of

Australian Adults. The program Obesity Prevention Australia have committed to providing every single

Australian adult access with is called Kick Start 4 Health.

Kick Start 4 Health (KS4H); is a personal health and lifestyle development workshop, that gives participantsthe necessary tools, skills and knowledge needed to create their own personalised lifestyle plan.

Under guidance from qualified health professionals, participants will cover all aspects of healthy lifestyle

education, and learn how to create goals and a rock solid plan on how to achieve and stay accountable to

these goals.

Rather than providing a fitness session where participants turn up to each week, do an hour of

exercise and go home, this workshop aims to teach a man to fish rather than giving them a fish.

This workshop ensures Australian from all walks of life gain the awareness to take ownership of their

health and make choices that positively affect their future.

To ensure this project is able to be offered to all Australians regardless of their location, Obesity PreventionAustralia has committed to implementing KS4H according to the 2010-2015 strategic plan:

An online platform where Australians can access this course in the privacy of their own home, progress

through the different lessons and utilise subsidised software that helps keep them accountable to their

new actions and habit creation goals

The KS4H facilitators program (as part of the Healthy Professionals Initiative) where allied health

professional are certified to run the KS4H program with clients (either as a 10 week group seminar, 2

day full time course, or one on one continual education with a practitioner)

Obesity Prevention Australia is also in the process of developing a yet to be named DVD that we will subsidise

for all hospital patients, parents, schools, companies, and adults with the aim of inspiring them to takeimmediate action to improve their health.



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The Healthy Homes Initiative is targeted towards families and health within the home. This initiative is

closely linked with:

Healthy Futures Initiative: Healthy Workplaces Initiative Healthy Lives Initiative

Healthy Professionals Initiative Healthy Policy and Media Initiative Healthy Ageing Initiative

Obesity Prevention Australia aims to provide families with one consistent healthy lifestyle message

throughout the programs their children do at school (and the family health kit they receive), to the courses we

provide, the workplace initiatives we run and through the events we coordinate such as Obesity Prevention

Month. We aim to be the one stop shop where parents seeking clarification on health can go and be

completely confident they are receiving the best advice possible.

Some of the key areas of focus within the healthy homes initiative are:

Expecting and new parents/families:

The first years in life before school create very strong lifestyle habits and it would be negligent of

Obesity Prevention Australia not to offer education to expecting parents on key nutrition and lifestyle

education. We aim to become a strong link in the chain with doctors, obstetricians, hospitals, anti and

post natal classes, nurses, midwives and other health professionals to provide resources and hands on

developmental programs for parents.

Family Health during school years: Part of the Healthy Futures Initiative where we provide parents with a family health kit and free

hands on developmental courses. (see Healthy Futures Initiative for full detail)

Healthy Homes set up:

Resources to maximise health within the home, while linking with the hands on courses we offer

through the healthy lives and healthy futures initiatives to reduce barriers to good nutrition and

exercise at home (we are the result of what we do consistently; To change our health, our actions in

the home need to be reviewed)

Healthy Industry:

We aim to provide families with the tools to successfully make informed decisions on foods and

products marketed towards families and children. As part of the Healthy Policy and Media Initiativewe aim to ensure industry, government and media are held accountable to their health responsibilities

to the families of Australia.



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Australians are working more, exercising less, cooking less, and eating a far lower quality nutritional diet than

ever before (microwaved dinner meals etc). We are spending less time on the things that really matter like

family and friends and are more stressed than ever. In a time poor, sleep and nutrient deprived world, rage,

depression, anxiety and pain (headaches, joint aches etc) are at all time highs. With no time and little handson education available to deal with the problems, we just pop a pill to hide or mask the symptoms and move

on. Because we are spending more time at work then ever before, Obesity Prevention Australia is committed

to helping Australians develop healthy workplace habits as an integral part of our overall mission.

Obesity Prevention Australia believes and is committed to implementing and funding hands on healthy

lifestyle development programs in the workplace. Our initiatives will focus on:

Encouraging coworkers to get active together, while helping each other stay accountable to fitness

plans (see Wear it to work day)

Preventative stress reduction and management training (no drugs here)

Nutrition education and workplace implementation strategies (communal meals, food buddies etc) Linking with the healthy lives and healthy homes initiatives

Workstation set up education; for lower back, neck, and wrist injury reduction (if you are injured,

inflamed, sore or tired from being in pain you are more likely to eat a poor diet and exercise less!)

Apart from the benefits to their staffs lives personally, the financial and productivity benefits to business from

implementing a healthy lifestyle program for their workers is substantial. They include:

An increase of productivity by up to 200%

Increased Staff Health, Confidence, Happiness

A Supportive, Positive Team Environment

Reduced Staff Turnover and Increased Loyalty Reduce Absenteeism by 20 - 35%, less risk of false claims, and injured/sick employees returning earlier



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Projected to start in March 2013, Wear it to Work day is a fun and novel event aimed at building physical

activity awareness in the workplace while encouraging staff to find exercise buddies who have similar

interests. People who get active with a buddy or in groups are far more likely to exercise regularly or commit

to their healthy lifestyle goals than if they go it alone. They also can reduce stress levels, gain friendships and

enjoy the social part of exercising (IE chatting while walking) just as much as the exercise itself!

The concept of the day is simple:

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Wear an item(s) of sports clothing or apparel to work that shows your workmates the different physical

activities that you love to (or would like to) do!

You can be as out there ( come to work in the full outfit or the sports you play IE Footy socks,

basketball singlet, and a golf glove)

Or as inconspicuous as you like (speedos underneath their slacks instead of jocks, or a running singlet

under a blouse)

When workmates see someone who is either displaying or concealing their favourite activity, it

encourages them to enquire about their colleagues exercise habits and promotes healthy lifestyle

discussion in the workplace

By getting workmates to talk with each other about the physical activities they love to do, the goal of the day

is to help encourage exercise buddy or workplace sport team creation( IE put together a work touch footy

team). This fun filled day will also improve friendships, reduce stress and bring awareness of the need to

address other healthy lifestyle issues within the workplace, such as:

Stress reduction and management strategies

Healthy nutrition

Injury prevention and workplace set ups

Goal setting and personal development

Wear it to work dayis part of the Healthy Workplace Initiative and will offer incentives for businesses whoparticipate and raise valuable funds as part of the initiative throughout Australia



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Through implementing the Healthy Ageing Initiative, we aim to maintain or restore health, strength, stability

and independence to all seniors in Australia. Through the combination of all 7 Healthy Australia Initiatives

over the duration of an Australians life (birth to death), we aim to empower adults entering their senior years

with the knowledge and habits needed to maintain health and independence.

For seniors living in a retirement village or their own home:

Our number one goal is to help ageing Australians from prematurely entering aged care facilities,

prematurely losing independence, and prematurely losing quality of life The Kick Start 4 Health courses (as part of the Healthy lives and Healthy Professionals Initiative) are

a major part of our hands on strategy for seniors and are highly applicable for this demographic . They

will increase the awareness of health ownership, healthy lifestyle creation and/or maintenance plans

Bend it or break it Message: The importance of ensuring you have a flexible, mobile spine and limbs

is lost on the majority of Australians. Flexible, limber and active seniors can be completely

independent and lead healthy and active lives. Seniors should refuse to accept an inevitable premature

degeneration of their health and well-being, and OPA is committed to providing them with solutions to

stay (or become) happy and healthy. We are partnering with falls prevention groups nationally and will

be promoting both their message and services through this initiative

Food Rules message: A healthy diet is of vital importance to maintaining health through the senioryears. Promoting healthy lifestyle strategies as a first call over medication dependancy is also a priority

For Aged Care Facilities:

By developing programs, resources and providing professional development to facility staff our goal is

to help aged care facilities provide high quality, scientifically based programs to their residents. We

aim to improve each facilities efforts to keep their residents moving and eating well

To decrease falls, injury and hospitalization of seniors in aged care facilities across Australia.

To increase quality of life within aged care facilities across Australia

By up-skilling staff in aged care facilities, OPA aims to ensure every Australian senior has access to an

easy to implement, effective and safe falls prevention and healthy lifestyle development programwithin their aged care facility



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The Healthy Professionals Initiative has 7 main areas of development, defined by the anagram Cure PRO:

Certify:

Providing Professionals who attend our seminars or facilitator courses with an OPA course

certification.

Utilise:

Collaborating with and utilising the vast knowledge base of professionals across the country, to

continually improve and build upon current preventative health services and interventions.

Collaborating professional voices nation wide to lobby for policy change such as: Foodadvertising laws, food labeling (nutrition panels, GMO labeling), school curriculum change,

product/ingredient restriction (IE caffeine drinks to minors), Tax rebates for preventative health

initiatives (IE gym membership) amongst others.

Resource:

Offering Health Professionals access to all Obesity Prevention Australia preventative health resources

for their clients (online, hard copy and DVD)

Educate:

This is the major focus of the Healthy Professionals Initiative

Offering professional development seminars on preventative initiatives and Kick Start 4 Health

facilitator courses to allied health professionals (Doctors, dieticians, psychologists, nutritionists,physiotherapists,nurses, personal trainers, naturopaths, chiropractors etc) nationwide

Promote:

Promoting the services of Obesity Prevention Australia certified or recommended practitioners and

services to the public

Refer:

Referring clients who attend our subsidised healthy lifestyle development courses to relevant

practitioners.

Health practitioners referring clients to attend Obesity Prevention Australia courses or distribute our

resources when appropriate

Optimise:Giving the Australian public access to world class preventative health care, not as an option but as

part of standardised practice amongst all health practitioners within the Obesity Prevention

community.



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The Health Policy and Media Initiative has been developed to:

Work with federal, state and local governments to help promote healthy lifestyle messages and

alleviate the burden on government to be the source of all change

Help the federal, state and local governments effectively and efficiently role out community initiatives

Manage Obesity Prevention Australias voice through all media formats and promote our awareness

campaigns on a national level

Keep the federal government accountable on their preventative health responsibilities to the people

of Australia

Ensure the AFGC and influential food companies that lobby government must answer to the voice of

the Australian public.

As part of the Healthy Professionals Initiative - Collaborate professional voices nation wide to

lobby for policy change

Keep the Australian public informed on key decisions that may effect their future health.

Advocate against unhealthy food advertising (amongst other issues) throughout the media aimed at

influencing our children

Work with local governments across Australia to help them develop:

Subsidised physcial activity and healthy lifestyle development sessions for their residents

Resources that advertise the services of local activity providers and health professionals to

their residents ( such as the great work done by the Gold Coast City Council and the Gold Coast

Physical Activity Alliance at www.Getactivegoldcoast.com.au)

Our ability to influence change within media and the government depends on the size of our voice. As part of

the Obesity Prevention Australia strategic plan for 2010-2015, our 3rd pillar is completely dedicated to

building and managing our supporter base. The more professionals and supporters who are aligned with

Obesity Prevention Australia, the stronger our voice and the stronger our influence.


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