Programs projects and lessons: States and Territories
Details and links (where available) of programs and projects in Queensland of relevance to the nutritional health of Indigenous peoples are provided here.
- National
- States and Territories
- Publications on programs, projects and lessons
Queensland
Major Indigenous
Project Name: Eat Well Be Active campaign
Project Summary: Queensland Governments Eat Well Be Active (EWBA) campaign is aimed at encouraging all Queenslander's to be more active and to make healthy food choices. The initiative addresses the alarming increase in chronic health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers as a direct result of poor nutrition, a lack of physical activity and increasing levels of obesity. The (EWBA) campaign enforces that the commitment by individuals can significantly reduce the economic and social burden associated with a wide range of chronic health conditions.The campaign was launched in 2007 and is being implemented by Queensland Health in partnership with the Department of Local Government Planning Sport and Recreation over the next three years. The EWBA campaign includes an information pack that was delivered to all households across Queensland, and a comprehensive website. The website provides information to show how easy it is to make healthier eating choices and to be more active every day. The website also involves a section specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
View information: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
View information: Eat well tips for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
View information: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander guide to healthy eating
View information: Resources for educators
View website: Eat Well Be Active, Queensland Government
Project Name: Growth Assessment and Action (GAA) Program (Early Childhood)
Project Summary: The Growth Assessment and Action in Early Childhood Program (Queensland) is based on the Northern Territory growth and assessment and action project, and arose due to the increasing rates of childhood overweight and obesity and the continuing occurrence of under nutrition in Queensland. The program demonstrates that assessing growth, providing feedback to caregivers and referring at risk children for specialised intervention are effective strategies in reducing or preventing malnutrition among children in developing countries. Based on the Northern Territory guidelines, the Queensland program demonstrates that early identification of poor growth or 'failure to thrive' allows for early and appropriate interventions. The GAA programs also provide feedback on growth assessment to parents, caregivers, communities and health policy-makers.
The Growth Assessment and Action Guidelines aim to:
- ensure that growth promotion and assessment occurs in more coordinated ways
- ensure that appropriate intervention is taken at an individual level in children who are failing to grow
- provide a mechanism for feeding back community level information to communities and health services to assist with planning, decision making and resource allocation.
To meet the goals of the guidelines:
- health centres will be provided with well maintained, standard equipment
- new and existing staff will be trained and supported to implement regular growth monitoring and growth promotion in communities
- an information system will be developed. This system will assist with monitoring individual children. Information will also be collated and fed back at the community, district, and regional level.
The Growth Assessment and Action in Early Childhood Program was introduced in three health service districts in Queensland Health’s Northern Zone. The program has improved the nutritional status of mothers and children across the State. Manuals, training materials and systems have been developed to support the Growth Assessment and Action in Early Childhood Program for Indigenous children. This program uses systematic methods to assess child growth and respond to growth problems by involving families, communities and service providers. The Queensland program includes 'Growing Strong: Feeding You and Your Baby', a project that aims to enhance the nutritional status of mothers and the growth of children.
View information: Queensland health statewide initiatives and programs (PDF - 97KB)
View website: Queensland Health
Contact: Kani Thompson
Ph: (07) 4050 3655
Project Name: Growing Strong
Project Summary: The purpose of this project is to provide information about eating well during pregnancy as well as providing suggestions for dealing with some common food and nutrition related problems. Information is also provided about common breastfeeding issues including how to know when a baby gets enough breast milk and correct positioning and attachment. The program involves a Growing Strong training manual, a participant workbook, a facilitators training package for health workers, and an illustrated client book. Growing Strong resources provide evidence-based information about eating well during pregnancy as well as suggestions for dealing with some common food and nutrition related problems. Information is also provided about common breastfeeding issues including how to know when a baby gets enough breast milk and correct positioning and attachment.
View information: Growing strong: feeding you and your baby evaluation summary report. A reflection on activity from 1998 - 2005 and evaluation of resources and training (PDF - 100KB)
View website: Eat well be active, Queensland Government
Contact:
Helen Vidgen,
Ph: (07) 3234 0343
Kani Thompson, Ph: (07) 4050 3655
Project Name: Living Strong Program
Project Summary: The Living Strong Program (formerly known as The Healthy Weight Program) encourages participants to seek a healthy lifestyle through good nutrition and physical activity and teaches them life skills to be able to do this in their daily lives. Living Strong includes optional health screenings and up to 12 workshops that can be combined in a variety of ways to suit community and local group needs. The program is designed to be delivered by generalist health staff such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers, staff in community health services as well as in non-government health services. Living Strong facilitators participate in a five-day training program and are offered implementation and evaluation support by population health staff in Queensland Health. The program is supported by a facilitators manual for the 5 day course, and nutrition resources.
View information: 2005 Evaluation of the healthy weight program, summary report (PDF - 185KB)
View resource: Living strong facilitation training program, healthier lifestyle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults [fact sheet] (HTML)
View resource: Living strong facilitation training program, healthier lifestyle for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults [fact sheet] (PDF - 262KB)
View website: Queensland Health
Contact: Michelle Elwell, Nutrition Promotion Officer,
Tropical Population Health Network
Ph: (07) 4050 3633
Project Name: Healthy Food Access Basket
Project Summary: This program involves the monitoring and reporting (Healthy Food Access Basket (HFAB) surveys) of the relative cost and quality of healthy choices in urban, rural and remote locations in Queensland. HFAB surveys are conducted regularly to monitor the cost and availability of food throughout Queensland. As the HFAB survey has been repeated over time, the latest survey findings can be compared to survey findings from previous years.
View related publication: Harrison MS, Coyne T, Lee AJ, Leonard D, Lowson S, et al. (2007) The increasing cost of the basic foods required to promote health in Queensland. Medical Journal of Australia;186(1):9-14
View information: The 2006 healthy food access basket survey (PDF - 398KB)
View information: The 2004 healthy food access basket survey (PDF - 546KB)
View information: The 2001 healthy food access basket survey (PDF - 227KB)
View information: The 2000 healthy food access basket survey (PDF - 546KB)
View website: Queensland Health, Eat well be active
Contact:
Michelle Harrison, Queensland Health
Ph: (07) 3405 5252
Other Indigenous
Project Name: Community Harvest Project
Project Summary: The Community Harvest Project (previously Riverview Dinmore Food Security Project) aims to develop, implement and evaluate strategies to improve food security in an urban disadvantaged area.
Contact: Petrina Logan
Ph: (07) 3810 1574
Project Name: Eating well for you and your baby
Project Summary: Nutrition booklet with an Indigenous focus.
Contact: Lisa Toh
Ph: (07) 3275 5435
Project Name: Food Outback
Project Summary: This project works toward supplying more fresh fruit and vegetables to rural and remote South West Queensland through a close partnership with Indigenous communities.
Contact: Elizabeth Stephens
Ph: (07) 3810 1535
Project Name: Cherbourg Healthy Pregnancies Project
Project Summary: Cherbourg Healthy Pregnancies Project is designed to encourage and support healthy lifestyles among local pregnant women. The project is a partnership between Queensland Health’s Southern Area Public Health Nutrition Team and Graham House, a not-for-profit Murgon neighbourhood centre. The project aims to reduce the number of babies born with a low birth weight and/or who are premature, reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs during pregnancy and breastfeeding and increase the number of women breastfeeding their babies at birth and at six months.
The Cherbourg Healthy Pregnancies project working group has representatives from Queensland Health’s Public Health Nutrition Team, Graham House, Cherbourg Community Health, Barambah Regional Medical Services, Cherbourg Hospital, Connections Youth Service and Cherbourg Community Elders and Leaders. Other stakeholders include Murgon State High School, Cherbourg State Primary School, Yacca/The Annex, Gundoo Day Care Centre, Cherbourg Council, Jumbanah Youth Justice Service and Education Queensland.
Contact: Elizabeth Stephens
Ph: (07) 3810 1535
Project Name: Healthy Jarjums make Healthy Food Choices
Project Summary: This program is aimed at teaching young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children about foods that are good for their bodies, so that they may improve their quality of life through better nutrition. The program is designed to guide and assist educators by presenting suggested activities, lessons and resources. Resources include a full colour nutrition education manual and flip chart and and an educational resource for innovative nutrition and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural lessons for pre-school to grade 3. It Includes a teaching manual and an 11 page flip chart set.
View information: Healthy jarjams make healthy food choices [project fact sheet] (PDF - 86KB)
View website: Eat well be active, Queensland Government
Contact: Wendy Norman, Indigenous Health Program, Inala Community Health Centre, PO Box 52, Inala Qld 4077
Fax: (07) 3879 1018
Email: Wendy_Norman@health.qld.gov.au
General
Project Name: Active-Ate
Project Summary: Active-Ate is a collection of resources developed by the Queensland Health Tropical Public Health Unit Network to promote physical activity and nutrition in primary schools. It was developed to contribute towards improved health and well being among Australian school children. It is widely acknowledged that well-nourished and physically active children perform at their best. Active-Ate is designed to increase knowledge and awareness of healthy eating and physical activity among students. It promotes the adoption of healthy eating practices and physically active lifestyles by children.
View website: Active-Ate, Queensland Government
Project Name: Better Food Better Care and Better Food Better Preschool Initiatives
Project Summary: Statewide projects with an early intervention, preventive approach that targets staff, families and children to improve nutrition in childcare centres and preschools.
View information: Queensland Health statewide initiatives and programs (PDF - 97KB)
View website: Queensland Health
Project Name: Community Partnerships Grants Program
Project Summary: The Queensland Community Partnerships Grants Program (QCPGP) supports innovative and sustainable projects aimed at increasing participation in physical activity and improving eating patterns. The grants program is designed to encourage partnerships between states and local governments, schools and community organisations to deliver healthy eating and physical activity programs.
The Queensland Community Partnerships Grants Program provides funding to:
- provide sustainable opportunities for Queenslanders to lead active lifestyles and adopt healthy eating patterns;
- encourage new approaches in communities to the development and delivery of physical activity and healthy eating initiatives;
- enhance and build on successful physical activity and healthy eating initiatives; and
- encourage collaboration between State and local government, schools and community organisations.
In the first round of the Queensland Government's Eat Well Be Active community partnerships Grants Program, a total of 232 applicants were received, and over 110 projects received funding which commenced in June 2007. The Program is a joint initiative between the Department of Local Government, Sport and Recreation, Queensland Health, Queensland Transport and the Department of Education, Training and the Arts.
View information: Queensland Government
View program guidelines (PDF - 601KB)
View program application details
View website: Queensland Government
Contact: Department of Local Government, Planning, Sport and Recreation (QLD), PO Box 15187 City East Qld 4002
Ph: 1300 663 647
Email: cpgp@qld.gov.au
Project Name: Creating a Healthier Queensland
Project Summary: Nutrition, physical activity and chronic disease prevention workshops have been conducted throughout the State for health service staff and other stakeholders. The workshops provide information on national guidelines for nutrition and physical activity, and increase awareness of the role of the guidelines in chronic disease prevention.
View information: Queensland health statewide initiatives and programs (PDF - 97KB)
View website: Queensland Health
Project Name: Healthy Kids Queensland Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey
Project Summary: The 'Healthy Kids Queensland: Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey', funded by Queensland Health is part of the broad-ranging initiative Eat Well, Be Active – Healthy Kids for Life, the Queensland Government's first action plan 2005-2008. The survey provides an overview of both the physical activity and nutrition status of the state's children. It provides important information on nutrition and physical activity as well as heights and weights of children. Reports will provide key information to help prioritise health promotion programs and improve our children's health.
The project was lead by Associate Professor Peter Davies, Director of UQ's Children's Nutrition Research Centre, and the Survey was conducted in 2006, involving children attending years one, five and ten in government and non-government schools across Queensland.
The survey's key findings included:
- There are more severely obese children and young people today than 20 years ago.
- Children are not eating enough fruit and vegetables with half of the sample consuming less than one serve of vegetables a day;
- Fewer than one in six boys, and one in 15 girls, reported doing at least one hour of moderate physical activity everyday in the week;
- Many children had inadequate intakes of iron and calcium; too many weren't drinking enough milk, too many drank soft drink; and too many ate fatty and sugary snack foods; and
- Average intakes of saturated fat were 45% higher than levels recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
View information: Healthy Kids Queensland Survey Summary 2006, report (PDF - 631KB)
View website: Queensland Health
Project Name: Lighten Up to a Healthy Lifestyle Program
Project Summary: Lighten up is a group based program delivered through community health services that encourages people to manage their weight by adopting healthier habits. The program covers areas such as how to make healthy food choices, be physically active, set realistic goals, and deal with stress. In some areas the program is offered specifically to parents of overweight children.
View information: Queensland health statewide initiatives and programs (PDF - 97KB)
View website: Queensland Health
Project Name: Physical Activity and Nutrition Out of School Hours Care Program (PANOSH)
Project Summary: The PANOSH resources and training packages assist Outside School Hours Care services to provide healthy and affordable food choices, and to keep children active during afternoon and vacation care.
View information: Queensland health statewide initiatives and programs (PDF - 97KB)
View website: Queensland Health
Project Name: The Fun not Fuss with Food Program
Project Summary: An educational program for parents with children aged two to 10 years who have problem eating and mealtime behaviours. The program is being trialled in the Gold Coast, Charleville and Toowoomba Health Service Districts.
View information: Queensland health statewide initiatives and programs (PDF - 97KB)
View website: Queensland Health
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