September 2009

Forum focus on childhood obesity

The Department of Health is working closely with communities to prevent obesity, with particular focus on promoting healthy eating and physical activity to children.

The Be Active Eat Well series of projects have introduced ways to promote healthy food and increased play and activity where children are—the child care centre, the preschool and the primary and secondary schools.

Be Active Eat Well was the focus of a Community-based Childhood Obesity Prevention Initiatives—Putting the lessons learned into practice forum, hosted by the Department of Health at the College of Surgeons in Melbourne.

The forum was a collaborative effort involving the Department’s Public Health Branch Health Development Unit, Deakin University, Melbourne University’s McCaughey Centre and the National Heart Foundation-Victoria.

More than 90 people attended the forum, including policy advisers, health planners, health promotion practitioners and program managers, local government and the public and primary health sectors.

WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention Director Professor Boyd Swinburn opened the forum addressing the importance of community-based interventions for obesity prevention.

Other speakers outlined funded obesity prevention projects that targeted children in preschool, primary school and secondary school settings.

DOH policy analyst Michelle Haby described the six Be Active Eat Well projects and discussed how experiences/lessons were being used in the future.

Issues raised during the forum will also be used to inform policy and program planning within the Department.

•          For more information on community-based obesity prevention initiatives visit the Go for your life website at http://www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au/hav/articles.nsf/pracpages/Be_Active_Eat_Well?open.