Western Australian healthy schools project (WAHSP)

• Reach:

  WA

• Focus area:

  Mainstream with Indigenous content

• Status:

  Current

• Evaluated:

  No

Overview

The Western Australian healthy schools project (WAHSP) aims to increase participation rates in physical activity and increase the consumption of healthy food and drinks by school children.

Healthy Schools Coordinators will work with targeted schools to:

• incorporate healthy eating and physical activity into school policies
• facilitate community and school based activities
• establish and strengthen existing partnerships
• support the development of healthy school environments that contribute to the prevention of obesity and chronic disease.

The project is initially targeting primary schools, focusing on schools with populations of students who are most at risk of poor health outcomes (e.g. schools with a high proportion of students from culturally and linguistically diverse, Indigenous and low socio-economic backgrounds). The secondary target group are those related to the primary target group:

• parents and families
• health and education staff
• community groups
• government and non-government organisations.

An evaluation of the program was conducted in 2008-2010 and found:

• the most successful activities were those related to kitchen gardens, sports carnivals, expos and fruit and vegetable tastings
• approximately two-thirds of participating schools had developed or were in the process of developing a healthy eating and physical activity policy
• over two-thirds of school principals and key stakeholders surveyed at the end of the evaluation said that their expectations of the project had been met.

The WAHSP has received funding until 2014/15 through the National partnership agreement on preventive health, healthy children initiative. The WAHSP will continue to work with schools with populations most at risk of poor health outcomes to increase physical activity and healthy eating in these communities.

Abstract adapted from Department of Health Western Australia

Contacts

Tracey Fuhrmann
WA Country Health Service
Email: tracy.fuhrmann@health.wa.gov.au

Tia Lockwood
Child and Community Health
Email: tia.lockwood@health.wa.gov.au

Links

• View information: WA Healthy Schools Project (WAHSP)
• View website: Department of Health Western Australia