Health Eating Active Living

Healthy Eating and Active Living are key factors in maintaining individual and population health. Eating well and keeping active promote health and wellbeing and prevent chronic disease across all life stages.

More than one in five children and one in two adults on the Central Coast are overweight or obese. Children who are above a healthy weight have an increased risk of mental health and social issues in childhood, and are more likely to carry excess weight into adulthood and experience chronic disease later in life.

In line with the NSW healthy Eating Active Living Strategy, on the Central Coast we aim to encourage and support the community to make healthy lifestyle changes and create an environment that supports healthier living including better planning, built environments and transport solutions.

State Strategies

The NSW Healthy Eating and Active Living Strategy 2013-2018 provides a whole of government framework to promote and support healthy eating and active living in NSW and to reduce the impact of lifestyle-related chronic disease.

Snapshots

Central Coast Local Health District Projects

Routine Growth Assessment of Children

To address childhood overweight and obesity, all children who come into contact with NSW Health facilities are now required to have their growth assessed on a routine basis.

For more information please visit https://pro.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/

Healthy Food and Drink in NSW Health Facilities

Through the introduction of the Healthy Food and Drink Framework on the Central Coast, we are supporting our staff and visitors, by offering them a wide choice of appealing food and drink choices, including a large proportion of healthy options.

For more information please visit https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/heal/Pages/healthy-food-framework.aspx

Reducing Childhood Overweight and Obesity Implementation Plan

Implementation to address childhood overweight and obesity will be actioned locally across the Central coast in four priority areas as identified in the NSW healthy Eating Active Living Strategy.

The four priority areas for action will support:

- Improvements to environments for healthy eating and active living
- Delivery of state-wide support programs
- Enhancements to clinical services and
- Facilitation of education programs