Health Promotion

Central Coast Local Health District NSW

Featured Posts

How green is your canteen?

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The Central Coast Environmental Education Network is challenging schools to reduce single use plastic and champion plastic free canteens. Schools that can demonstrate change can win a $50 voucher and will be presented with a plaque for their canteen to show they are the winning school for the term.

Schools can choose what steps they can take, from replacing plastic cutlery with re-usable (or compostable) cutlery, phasing out plastic straws, talking to their suppliers about reducing unnecessary plastic packaging or other alternative plastic reduction actions.

New schools can get involved by completing the online Green Canteen survey (on Rumbalara EEC’s website) and will receive a gift of wooden cutlery or paper straws.
Schools that have already been involved can choose a new action and tell us what you have changed by sending us a photo of the change along with a photo of your actions poster. Please send us an email to inform us of your schools involvement.

Email to Rumbalara-e.school@det.nsw.edu.au

How to be involved

1. All schools will receive a “How Green is your Canteen?” poster. Hang your poster near your canteen to show your support.
2. New schools that take the challenge should fill in the survey on the Rumbalara website and will receive free sustainable cutlery or straws.
https://rumbalara-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/green-canteens.html
3. Make some sustainable changes to your canteen and school and tick off the changes on the “Steps to A Green Canteen’ poster.
4. By the end of Term 3 tell us what you have changed by sending us a photo of the change along with a photo of your actions poster and email to
Rumbalara-e.school@det.nsw.edu.au
5. A panel will review each schools submission and advise the winner.

Green Canteen project is supported by Rumbalara Environmental Education Centre, Kariong Eco Garden, Community Environment Network, Central Coast Council, Australian Take3 and Cleanaway.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

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What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder ?
(FASD)

FASD is a diagnostic term for severe neurodevelopmental impairments (you may see these as difficulties with physical activities, language, memory, learning and behaviour) that result from brain damage caused by alcohol exposure before birth.

Read More

Find more about FASD

Falls are Preventable DVD

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The ‘falls are preventable’ DVD looks at the risk factors for falls and what action can be taken to help prevent a fall. These include medication, physical activity, eyesight, footwear, balance, home hazards, public safety and nutrition.

For further information contact Helen on 4320 9720.

Alternatively you can watch any of the individual chapters. Just follow the links below.

Falls Prevention DVD .

 Exercise

 Medicines 

 Chronic Conditions 

 Footwear 

Vision 

 Reducing Hazards at Home 

 Nutrition and Hydration 

 Getting off the Floor Safely after a Fall 

 How to put Shoes on to Avoid a Fall

 

Check your risk…what’s your score? Diabetes Prevention

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The Central Coast Community Health Survey 2014 estimated that of Central Coast adults aged 18 years and over, 10% had been told by a doctor or hospital they had diabetes and of these, 75% have Type 2 diabetes.

Check your risk…what’s your score? by doing the AUSDRisk assessment…

So what is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic (long term) disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, circulation problems, lower limb amputations, nerve damage and damage to the kidneys and eyes.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.

Many Coasties, particularly those over 40, are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes through any one of these lifestyle factors:

  • Not enough physical activity
  • Poor nutrition
  • Being overweight
  • Smoking

Other factors that increase risk are:

  • Being an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
  • Being a male
  • Having a family history of diabetes
  • Ethnicity/country of birth.

In approximately 58% of cases of type 2 diabetes, the condition can be delayed or prevented by reducing weight, increasing physical activity, improving diet and stopping smoking.

 

Want to feel motivated? Then watch this link

The Central Coast Local Health District, Diabetes Services, provide information, education and support for people with diabetes, their families and carers. Our team includes diabetes nurse educators, a dietitian and social worker to help both children and adults manage their diabetes

Health assessment for people aged 40 to 49 years with a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes

The home of Diabetes Australia

The FREE Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service can help provide you with the support and motivation you need to reach your own healthy lifestyle goals.

Watch this to find out more.

 

With this in mind, there is opportunity to promote healthy eating and active living across organisations on the Central Coast to help reduce prevalence of the disease.

Diabetes care on the Central Coast

The new Central Coast Local Health District’s Diabetes Plan and Model of Care are important to address the increasing rate of diabetes on the Central Coast – about 10 per cent of adults living in the region have diabetes, mostly type 2 diabetes.

This is the first Diabetes Plan and Model of Care for the Central Coast created in partnership between the Central Coast Local Health District, the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network and Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Services, with input from consumers.

The Plan aims to address health promoting environments and education among communities and health professionals.

Lifestyle related risk factors, including overweight and obesity, are major contributors to the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. The Central Coast Local Health District’s Health Promotion Service and Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Services have a range of programs in place in the community to increase physical activity levels, increase fruit and vegetable consumption and ultimately, reduce levels of overweight and obesity in children and adults.

 

 

 

 

Urban Planning for Health

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Urban planning can facilitate and support preventive health approaches, especially for disadvantaged populations.

Partnering with the District’s Public Health Unit and Health Services Planning Unit we advocate for the planning, design, development and management of healthy built environments. We identify and respond to possible health impacting proposals by way of written submissions for example, Central Coast Regional Plan.

Find out more

The Central Coast Regional Plan 2036, requires all levels of government, the private sector and the community to work together. This Plan sets regional planning priorities and provides a framework for regional and local planning decisions.

The One – Central Coast, Community Strategic Plan 2018-2028 defines a Community vision – “We are the Central Coast. A smart, green, and liveable region with a shared sense of belonging and responsibility.”

Quick Meals for Kooris

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Quick Meals for Kooris is a ‘hands-on’ cooking program that was designed to assist urban Aboriginal people to cook healthy meals for the family.

The program is delivered in two x three-hour sessions and is very flexible and versatile. It can be used as a stand-alone activity or incorporated within larger programs. The recipes used include ‘everyday’ foods, fresh, frozen and tinned, which are always the cheapest to buy and often in the cupboard.

Quick Meals for Kooris is designed to be run by an Aboriginal health worker or a member of the Aboriginal community. The group leader does not need extensive nutrition knowledge, just some basic home cooking skills and knowledge of their local community.

Why was the program developed?

There is a need for urban Aboriginal people to have access to relevant food programs that promote healthy family eating. A program was needed that was ‘hands-on’ and enabled new food skills to be learnt in a friendly informal environment.

Quick Meals for Kooris was designed to enable Aboriginal people to improve their health through gaining knowledge and developing skills to enable them to feed their families healthy food on a budget.

A resource was also needed that could be used to train Aboriginal health workers or interested members of the Aboriginal community to deliver the program thus ensuring sustainability.

What is in the cooking program?

There are two x three hour sessions which begin with a demonstration of aspects of each recipe. Then the class is divided into groups to cook a recipe together.  The meal is then shared and eaten, encouraging socialising and happy discussions.

Recipes used in the program are available to participants in the Quick Meals for Kooris at Home participant booklet. Each recipe has instructions on how to modify it for diabetes, for example: how to substitute ingredients depending on availability; and how to use leftovers.

Download a copy of:

Quick Meals for Kooris at Home

Quick Meals for Kooris Trainers Manual

Participants will:

  • Learn how to prepare low cost recipes
  • Share ideas and prepare meals from ingredients that are ‘in the cupboard’ use a range of ingredients, modify recipes or how to ‘extend meat’ to serve more people
  • Adapt or choose recipes to suit cooking skills, utensils and equipment that they may have available
  • Discuss food safety and hygiene (woven into the sessions)
  • Prepare meals and snacks suitable for the whole family.

How can the program be delivered?

The cooking program can be run as a ‘stand-alone’ program or included in larger programs, including those that address:

  • diabetes
  • heart disease
  • living on a budget
  • working with youth
  • community gardens
  • vacation care etc.

The kit is also designed to train Aboriginal health workers or Aboriginal community members to deliver the cooking program.

For more information contact Carolyn Bunney on 4320 3363 or complete below.