Resources

Information on health promotion resources of relevance to the nutritional health of Indigenous peoples is provided here, including details of videos, brochures, catalogues, posters, flip charts, fact sheets and CD-ROMS where available. The resources are ordered by year, with the most recently developed resources at the top of the page.

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Health promotion resources


2008

Department of Health and Community Services (2008)
Nutrition Guidelines for school programs
Darwin: Northern Territory Government

These guidelines list easy and innovative suggestions for healthy breakfast, lunch and snack foods for school children. The guidelines are presented in a clear and easy to understand chart form with recommended foods listed down one side, and less healthy foods which are not recommended down the other side.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Remote Indigenous Stores and Takeaways Project

The Remote Indigenous Stores and Takeaways (RIST) Project was established in 2005 by the SA, WA, NT, QLD, NSW and Australian Government Health Departments to improve access to a healthy food supply for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander People in remote communities. The project aims to establish and improve standards for ‘healthy' remote stores. To reach the goals of the project, the following resources have been developed:

  • Guidelines for stocking healthy food
  • Maximizing the shelf-life of fruit and vegetables
  • Marketing ideas for healthy food
  • Healthy fast food
  • Checklist: How healthy is your store?
  • Checklist: How healthy is your takeaway?
  • Freight improvement toolkit (2007)
  • Heart Foundation Buyer's Guide for managers of remote stores and takeaways
  • Keeping track of healthy food
  • Fruit and vegetable quantity spreadsheet (not yet available)

The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet has developed a specific page for the RIST resources. For a description of each resource, and to download the resources: view RIST resources web page.

  • Contact details:
    • Sharon Laurence, NATSINSAP Senior Project Officer Heart Foundation, Level 12, 500 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
      ph: (03) 9321 1566 fax: (03) 9321 1574 email: Sharon.laurence@heartfoundation.org.au

Department of Health and Community Services (2008)
The flour drum stove cookbook, for easy outdoor cooking for families
Darwin: Northern Territory Government

The Flour-Drum stove cookbook promotes the Flour-Drum Stove which was invented by Roy Price as a simple system of cooking healthier foods in response to the need reduce the dependency on convenience foods in remote Aboriginal communities. Outdoor cooking events using the flour drum stove provide an opportunity for large numbers of community members to get involved in the cooking process. It is accepted that this is only a short term remedy while infrastructure problems are being addressed in remote Aboriginal communities.

Flour-drum stove nutrition education activates can promote:

  • cooking as a viable option to buying takeaways
  • use of vegetables in meals
  • demand for vegetables to be available
  • healthy cooking techniques
  • food and personal hygiene
  • flavour without excessive fat and salt
  • family meal variety
  • a nutrient dense diet
  • self-sufficiency
  • recycling and sustainability

In December 2007, The Flour Drum stove along with the NT version of the Healthy Weight Program were used to provide an interactive and informative method for sharing nutritional messages for maintaining a healthy weight into adulthood to assist with prevention of diabetes and other chronic conditions. Students made recipes from the Flour Drum stove cookbook and the Flour Drum stoves were made and then used to cook the dishes. The Flour Drum stoves proved to be successful with the speed and ease of their use and the cooked dishes and stoves were healthy as well as enjoyable for all.

Queensland Health (2008)
Growing strong: feeding you and your baby resources
Brisbane: Queensland Government

Queensland Health have developed a new set of resources for health workers and other professionals to use when talking with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families about healthy eating for mothers, babies and children.
The new series of resources includes 22 individual brochures on the following topics:

  • Healthy food in pregnancy
  • Pregnancy and diabetes
  • Morning sickness and other pregnancy issues
  • Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs during pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • Physical activity during and after pregnancy
  • Breastfeeding: good for Baby, good for Mum
  • How to breastfeed
  • Expressing breastmilk
  • Breastfed babies' growth and growth spurts
  • Healthy drinks for Baby
  • Starting solids
  • Iron rich foods for babies and growing children
  • Healthy foods for children aged 1 - 4 years
  • Healthy drinks for children aged 1 - 4 years
  • Healthy food ideas for children aged 1 - 4 years and older
  • How dads can help
  • Healthy food and drinks for your grandkids
  • Baby's growth checks
  • Overweight children
  • Formula feeding
  • Sterilising bottles, teats and dummies
  • Keeping food safe

A set of flipcharts has also been developed for use with families and groups.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

  • For further information:
  • Contact details:
    • Rachael Farquharson, Senior Public Health Nutritionist /Principal Project Officer - Healthy Weight, Health Promotion Unit, Level 9 QHB, GPO Box 48, Brisbane QLD 4001, ph: (07) 3227 6861 fax: (07) 3220 0708 email: Rachael_Farquharson@health.qld.gov.au

 

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2007

Queensland Government (2007)
Eat Well Be Active. Your Life. Make the most of it [fact sheet]
Queensland: Queensland Health

This fact sheet is a list of easy to read bullet points to help Aboriginal people lead a healthy eating plan. Topics include cutting down on fats, eating less sugar, health during pregnancy, encouraging breastfeeding, and feeding toddlers.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract



Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (2007)
Aboriginal diet and nutrition [fact sheet]
Better Health Channel, Victorian Government

This resource gives an overview of information concerning the various diets of Aboriginal peoples. Topics include information on traditional diet, dietary changes, modern day diet, and diet related diseases.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

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2006

Department of Health and Community Services (2006)
Market Basket Survey
Darwin: Northern Territory Government

The Northern Territory Market Basket Survey is a tool for monitoring food cost, availability, variety and quality in remote community stores. It enables information to be collected on particular aspects, such as:

  • store management,
  • employment of Aboriginal people,
  • existence of a store nutrition policy,
  • community development initiatives by the store (sponsorship, donations, nutrition promotions and store worker training).

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2005

Department of Health and Community Services (2005)
Northern Territory infant feeding guidelines
Darwin: Department of Health and Community Services

The purpose of the Infant Feeding Guidelines is to assist all health staff in the Northern Territory (NT) to provide appropriate and consistent nutrition advice and support to families and caregivers about feeding infants. These are population guidelines and apply to all healthy, term (greater than thirty-seven weeks gestation) infants. The overriding message of the guidelines, which is in line with current NHMRC recommendation, is to support and promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, and to commence appropriate complementary feeding at about 6 months of age, with continued breastfeeding throughout the first year of life and beyond, as long as mutually desired. Overall the document promotes that improving infant feeding practices is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions.

Department of Health and Community Services (2005)
Remote stores newsletter.
Darwin: Department of Health and Community Services

This newsletter acts as a way of keeping people living and working in remote Aboriginal communities up to date with stories and news relating to the food supply in other remote Australian community stores.

Department of Health and Community Services, Department of Employment, Education and Training (2005)
Tummy rumbles, guidelines for remote area canteens
Darwin: Department of Health and Community Services

This booklet has been produced to assist those working in remote Aboriginal communities who are providing meals for school children. The resource supports the notion that food and nutrition are important for school children to ensure that they are healthy and able to learn effectively. In addition to providing information on nutrition, this booklet contains various meal ideas that are easy to prepare.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

    • Project Officer, Nutrition and Physical Activity Program, Department of Health and Community Services, PO Box 40596, Casuarina NT 0811 or Health House, 87 Mitchell Street, Darwin, Northern Territory, Ph: (08) 8999 2695 . fax: (08) 8999 2700 email: ask us online, website: Department of Health and Community Services

Healthway, North Metropolitan Area Health Service (2005)
FOODcents for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in WA program [manual, self directed learning user guide, and cookbook]
Perth: North Metropolitan Area Health Service

The FOODcents for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in WA program (ATSI FOODcents program) is an adaptation of the Health Department of WA's mainstream FOODcents program. The education manual is a guide for people working with Aboriginal communities to promote healthy eating. The cookbook was developed to provide recipes for people with health conditions such as diabetes. Recipes are easy to prepare and low in cost. The cookbook is available in colour with step-by-step photographs, lists of ingredients and equipment needed. Activities include 'Healthy foods', 'Healthy dollars' and 'Cook-up'. Colour photographs are available as separate files.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

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2004

Nganampa Health Council (2004)
Uwankara palyanku kanyintjaku - health promotion songs [CDs].
Alice Springs: Nganampa Health Council

The Nganampa Health Council has produced a series of four CDs featuring songs with a variety of health messages of relevance to Indigenous communities. The first CD, produced in 1989, features the 'Shower block Song', and also other songs covering topics including health hardware, land and health lifestyle practices. The second CD was produced over a two week period at a bush camp at Tilun Tilun, and examples of the song topics are drinking, diet and children. The second CD was so popular that demand came from the community for a third. This was produced in 2004 at a bush camp at Kunma Piti with songs on petrol sniffing, youth suicide and diet. The community enthusiasm continued and in 2005 the fourth CD was recorded at Ulkiya. This album features contributions by members of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and songs cover a range of topics including parenting, humbug, and petrol sniffing.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Centre for Health Promotion South Australia (2004)
Improving food security: healthy eating for people on low incomes [training package]
Adelaide: Centre for Health Promotion, Community Food Security Project

This resource is a training package with a purpose to contribute to improving food security and healthy eating for vulnerable groups. It is designed to support community nutritionists and dietitians in training community organisations and to learn how to address healthy eating and food security. It is designed as a 4 - 6 hour workshop comprising up to 11 short sessions.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

New South Wales Aboriginal Vascular Health Program (2004)
Aboriginal vascular health [pamphlets]
Sydney: NSW Health

Developed by the New South Wales Aboriginal Vascular Health Program, this series of thirteen pamphlets relate to a range of issues associated with vascular health including one on nutrition. Each of the pamphlets is in simple, easy-to-read language, and has been designed as a patient education resource for use with Aboriginal patients and communities.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

  • For further information:
  • Contact details:
    • The Better Health Centre, Locked bag 5003, Gladesville NSW 2111, ph: (02) 9816 0452, fax: (02) 9816 0492, website: NSW Health

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2002

Leahy J (2002)
Quick meals for Kooris [cook book]
Sydney: Northern Sydney Central Coast New South Wales Health

Quik Meals for Kooris

This resource was created to support the hands-on-program which enabled Aboriginal people to improve their health through healthy family eating. "Quick meals for Kooris" encourages the gaining of knowledge and development of skills to enable the eating of healthy food on a budget .

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Territory Health Services (2002)
The Public Health Bush Book
Darwin: Territory Health Services

The The Public Health Bush Book is a resource for people who work with remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. It was written by those who have worked in, or with, remote community health-care teams over many years, and relates their accumulated learning to published national and international evidence. Volume 2, chapter 3 includes a section specifically on food and nutrition.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

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2001

Office of Aboriginal Health (2001)
Healthy tucker training resources [training manual]
Perth: Office of Aboriginal Health, Department of Health

This training manual and related course materials are intended to train those enrolled in formal competency-based Aboriginal Health Worker (AHW) training. These resources are also available for use by currently practicing AHWs and Nutritionists/Dietitians in Western Australia to assist them in their work, as well as providing in-service workshops for colleagues who provide nutrition and health education in their region.

The resource includes the following:

  • Healthy tucker and caring for your mob [flipcharts]
  • Getting along in your community [booklet, activity book and workbook]
  • Water bottle and t-shirt

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Renal Resource Centre (nd)
Bush tucker in kidney failure and diabetes
NSW: Northern Sydney Central Coast, NSW Health

This guide is written especially for people with chronic kidney disease who wish to eat Indigenous foods. It lists a selection of more common foods eaten in rural and remote regions and is designed to assist the dietician and patient in making appropriate choices. The resource booklet details the nutritional value of 326 different types of bush tucker and is designed to assist those living with diabetes and kidney failure. The booklet was produced by Lesley Salem, Nephrology Nurse Practitioner from Renal Resource Centre, Hunter New England , NSW.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract



Department of Health and Community Services (nd)
Keeping fit, keeping healthy, keeping strong [poster]

This resource is a double sided, A4 poster targeted at Indigenous people. It can be used by health professionals to assist with diet and exercise counselling. It includes a list of nutrition tips and ideas on healthy eating using foods that are easily obtainable in communities. The poster also encourages increased physical activity by giving ideas on ways to incorporate physical activity into everyday lifestyle.

Department of Health and Community Services (nd)
Remote store managers contract
Darwin: Department of Health and Community Services

This is a model contract for the employment of store managers in remote communities. The clauses cover areas such as annual leave, manager's duties, termination, education and training, cross cultural awareness and suggestions regarding the development of a nutrition policy. The purpose of section 6 of the policy is to ensure a supply of healthy and nutritious food to the community in accordance with the Northern Territory Food and Nutrition Policy & Strategic Plan 1995-2000.

Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Council (nd)
Nutrition [posters]
Broome: The Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Council

The KAMSC Health Promotion Unit organises events and co-ordinates the design and development of health promotional material for Aboriginal people throughout the Kimberley. Some of these resources include brightly coloured posters with a clear message to consume more fruit and veggies for better nutrition.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Menzies School of Health Research (nd)
Tackling chronic diseases: how research can contribute [powerpoint]
Darwin: Menzies School of Health Research

This resource is a powerpoint presentation by Professor Kerin O'Dea of the Menzies School of Health Research. The powerpoint outlines the role of research partnerships in improving health service delivery and opportunities in the Northern Territory for further intersectoral work. It highlights historical methods of Aboriginal food gathering and how indigenous diets have been modified over time, to influence the problem of chronic diseases in today's indigenous societies. The Looma School canteen project shows how the primary intervention of providing nutritious lunches and breakfasts for school children has now become part of the school curriculum.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Northern Territory Government (nd)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to Healthy Eating
Darwin: Northern Territory Government

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to Healthy Eating is a tool to provide information about the amounts and kind of food that people need to eat each day to be healthy. The guide shows how much food is required everyday from each food group for good nutrition and health. It explains how healthy eating throughout life can help reduce the risk of health problems later in life such as  type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity. The foods included in the guide are those that can be found at the store as well as some local bush and seafood's. This flyer provides information and ideas on how to put messages from the ATSI Guide to Healthy Eating into practice. The educators resource in the form of a flip chart has been designed to assist health professionals educate others about eating for good health.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Queensland Government (nd)
Healthy jarjums make healthy food choices [manual and flip chart]
Queensland: Queensland Health

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.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

Wadeye environmental health workers' presentation (nd)
Improving health in Wadeye: good food
Wadeye: Wadeye Environmental Health Department

A range of presentations has been developed by Wadeye environmental health workers and prepared for the Internet by the HealthInfoNet for the purposes of promoting good health, including one on good food. The Wadeye Environmental Health Department has given permission for the following information to be copied and distributed freely as long as its use is acknowledged and is for non-commercial purposes.

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Last updated: 18 September 2008