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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 be
addressed?
• If we are going to provide the most comprehensive approach to fighting obesity and metabolic disease
in 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

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 “Healthy
futures 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’

The Habits We Create, Determine OUR FUTURE

www.obesityprevention.com.au
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 participants
the 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 Prevention
Australia 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 take
immediate action to improve their health.

The Habits We Create, Determine OUR FUTURE

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’ Initiative
we aim to ensure industry, government and media are held accountable to their health responsibilities
to the families of Australia.

The Habits We Create, Determine OUR FUTURE

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 hands
on 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 staff’s 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

The Habits We Create, Determine OUR FUTURE

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:

1
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 (speedo’s 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 who
participate and raise valuable funds as part of the initiative throughout Australia

The Habits We Create, Determine OUR FUTURE

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 senior
years. 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 program
within their aged care facility

The Habits We Create, Determine OUR FUTURE

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: Food
advertising 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.

The Habits We Create, Determine OUR FUTURE

www.obesityprevention.com.au

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 Australia’s 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.

The Habits We Create, Determine OUR FUTURE