Health Promotion

Central Coast Local Health District NSW

Older People

E-cigarettes

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Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are devices that produce a vapour which is breathed in. The process, also known as vaping, is similar to smoking, except you don’t have to burn the tobacco.

E-cigarettes are often promoted as a healthier option, but this may not be the case. Many e-cigarettes still contain nicotine as well as other potentially harmful chemicals such as ammonia that are breathed into your lungs and very quickly absorbed into your body. Smokers inhale so much and so frequently that we just don’t know what the impacts of these chemicals will be. However, we do know e-cigarettes containing nicotine are addictive, just like tobacco.

Smoking e-cigarettes is not recommended as a means to quit tobacco smoking. If you are trying to quit smoking, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a better choice. NRT is designed to gradually release nicotine into your body to help relieve symptoms you may get when you are trying to quit. However, NRT avoids the surge of nicotine that enhances addiction. It’s that surge of nicotine from a cigarette or an e-cigarette that provides the reward and keeps you addicted. NRT avoids this, while buffering withdrawal symptoms.

Quitting smoking can improve your quality of life by having a positive impact on your physical health. What’s more, research shows that, after the nicotine withdrawal has been overcome, there are substantial long-lasting improvements to your mental health with reduced levels of anxiety and depression. Swapping to e-cigarettes won’t give you the same result.

If you would like help to quit, or you would like to refer someone to get help, call the Quitline on 13 7848, or talk to a health professional.

Watch this short video in which Dr Lyndon Bauer, a GP on the Central Coast and the Health Promotion Service’s research and evaluation officer, answers the burning questions around e-cigarettes and vaping – including the risks associated with COVID-19 – and debunks some myths along the way.



E-cigarettes – the top 5 issues




1. Availability and take-up is increasing


The rate of e-cigarette use in Australia is growing. In 2019, more than one in 10 Australians aged 14 or over reported having used an e-cigarette, an increase of more than a quarter since 2016, and 2.5 times the rate in 2013.  The highest usage is amongst young adults aged 18–24, where more than a quarter had used an e-cigarette, an increase of more than a third since 2016.


2. They are a gateway to smoking tobacco and other drugs


Studies around the world (such as these from the USA, Canada and Germany) have found high school students who have never smoked, but start using e-cigarettes, are much more likely to end up smoking tobacco.


3. No one can be sure they’re safe


E-cigarettes have the potential to be addictive, which means people are at risk of exposure to large amounts of nicotine and other potentially harmful chemicals. Some of these chemicals are not in tobacco smoke, so it is unknown what long-term health consequences they will have. However, evidence is growing, and some studies have linked them to issues such as blood pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness. Both the Australian Government and World Health Organization have recently issued warnings on the health implications of inhaling harmful toxics in e-cigarettes.


4. They don’t help people quit


When e-cigarettes were first available, it was thought they could be used to help smokers cut down and eventually quit smoking tobacco. Since then, more evidence has come to light. E-cigarettes aren’t any more effective at helping people quit. Worse, they often result in smokers using both e-cigarettes and tobacco.


5. They are not regulated in many countries


Even though restrictions on tobacco advertising and product placement have been in place for many years, e-cigarettes are not as tightly governed… yet. Like tobacco companies before them, e-cigarettes have snuck their way into Hollywood movies because it’s a tried and tested way of getting people to smoke.


NSW Health has been careful in regulating the use of e-cigarettes. Click here to read more about the regulations in place.


On World No Tobacco Day 2021, we launched our Say No to Vaping campaign to help raise awareness of the health risks young people are exposing themselves to by using e-cigarettes. You can read more about the campaign and download resources including posters, social media tiles and animations from our Say No to Vaping campaign webpage.


Refresh @ Home


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Welcome to Refresh @ Home




The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has changed the daily lives and routines of people living and working on the Central Coast.


To help you during this time, our Refresh – Kids & Families page has become Refresh @ Home. Here you’ll find a collection of our resources, as well as information and advice on a number of topics, from exercising at home, to cooking healthy meals, mental health support, activities and games.


Please continue to check this page for further updates. New updates are marked *NEW* so you can quickly spot them. You can also subscribe to our Refresh newsletter to stay updated on new resources and programs from the Central Coast Health Promotion team.


We’re now also on Facebook. Give us a like and a follow to receive the very latest from our service.


Last updated: 21 January 2022


Activities and Games

Exercise

Healthy Eating

Older Adults

Alcohol Reduction

*NEW* Quit Smoking


Activities and Games


Looking for games and activities to keep the kids occupied? Fear not, we’ve got you covered with a number of resources and programs to help keep you and your family both active and entertained.


Family ACTIVation


Family ACTIVation is a fun-packed resource to help parents and carers of 5–12-year-olds get active with their children. It’s full of quick and easy games to play at home, in the park, or wherever. Games that reinforce the fundamental movement skills like throwing, catching, hopping and skipping… the same movement skills being learnt at school. As well as the original PDF resource, we’ve also created a series of videos of some of our favourite Family ACTIVation games. Watch the video playlist below. You can also download the resource pack with all our Family ACTIVation games included here.



*NEW* Get Active Today


Our Get Active Today tool is designed to help parents encourages children between the ages of four to eight to become more physically active.  By boosting skill development through play, Get Active Today has been cleverly designed using simple games and activities to support the growth of your child’s fundamental movement skills in a fun, safe and creative environment.


Animated stories


We’ve brought two of our popular children’s books written by Central Coast author Angela Barrett to life through animated storytelling. 


The Magic Lunchbox is a captivating, fun story about packing a healthy lunchbox for school, specifically targeting children in their transition to ‘big’ school.  Visit our Magic Lunchbox page to download the book and resources including pre- and primary school teacher resources and healthy food activity cards. 


Jack’s FUNtastic Day is a story about a boy named Jack who leaves his screen behind for a day to embark on an adventure.  Visit our Jack’s FUNtastic Day page to download a copy of the book and other resources such as activity cards and teaching materials for early childhood and primary school educators to promote active play to children aged 3–6 years old.




The Sports Hub


Looking for a sport or activity on the Central Coast to help you get active? Then check out the launched Sports Hub. It’s a comprehensive local online directory that enables you to search for sports and recreation activities by location and interest, and filter by categories such as age group suitability, activities that are accessible and inclusive and providers that accept Active Kids Vouchers. The Hub has been developed in partnership by Sport Central Coast, the Office of Sport and Central Coast Council as part of their Activate Central Coast initiative to encourage community participation in sport and active recreation.  The directory already features more than 100 local sports and active recreation providers covering a wide range of activities, so check it out and find an activity for you.


Kids Health’s play ideas for children


Kids Health has compiled a helpful page with a number of play ideas for children, including indoor and outdoor games and educational and sensory activities.


Reducing screen time


Reducing screen time can be a challenge. Watch this video full of handy tips to help your family sit less and move more. Check out NSW Health’s screen time page for more guidance and tips.


Exercise


Exercise is important for both our physical health and mental health. Here are some great ways to exercise, covering all ages and abilities, to ensure we give our body and mind the work out it needs.


    

  • Exercise Right has a number of home workout videos organised by strength and fitness, stretching and mobility, active ageing, pregnancy and kids.
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  • NSW Health’s Healthy Eating Active Living website has some simple exercises to do from home or outdoors. You can view and download a range of workouts, from beginner, low-intensity and high-intensity workouts.
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  • The NSW Institute of Sport has put together a High Performance at Home page containing a selection of videos by some of Australia’s top athletes to help us exercise at home, including improving your running technique and full body 30-minute workouts. Check out its 15-minute full body workout for beginners or daily flexibility routine for working from home.
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  • The Department of Education School Sport Unit and The Arts Unit have produced a range of videos called [email protected] to teach kids a range of fundamental and sport-specific skills using items found at home in their living rooms, in a fun and engaging way. Watch the video on overarm throwing, aimed at children ages 3–6, and check out the rest of the episodes here.
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Healthy Eating


Cooking is a great way to bring the family together. But if you need help on how to make your meals both tasty and healthy, don’t worry, we’ve listed a number of resources with helpful recipes and advice to ensure you eat healthily at home.


Make Their Meals Count




Make Their Meals Count helps parents and carers prepare healthy meals for children aged 4–8 years. The recipes are basic everyday meals that are easy to make, with ingredients that are inexpensive and readily available. As well as the original pictorial resource, we’ve also created a series of videos demonstrating how to cook and prepare some of the delicious recipes. You can download the pictorial resource with recipes here, and check out the playlist of our Make Their Meals count videos below.




Patch to Plate


Patch to Plate is a recipe book boasting a collection of tasty and healthy recipes from primary schools on the Central Coast, curated by our Central Coast School Garden Interest Group. You download the full recipe book as well as watch a series of videos showing how to prepare and cook some of the meals – check out the playlist below.  Check out the playlist featuring some selected recipes from the recipe book below.




Vege Adventure


Vege Adventure and try and eat a rainbow of different fruit and vegetables over the week. Designed to promote fruit and vegetables as part of the Crunch&Sip® break at primary school, Vege Adventure challenges kids to try and eat a rainbow of different fruit and vegetables over the course of a week. You can download fillable Vege Adventure cards to track your progress. The aim is to encourage everyone to try different fresh fruit and vegetables by eating a variety of colours over the week. Click on the image below to visit the Vege Adventure page on our website and see if your family can eat the rainbow!




Healthy Eating Active Living


Changing your routine and getting the whole family on board can seem like a challenge. But there are small steps you can take that will have a big impact on you and your family’s health and wellbeing. NSW Health’s Healthy Eating Active Living website is full of great resources, tips and helpful information on how you can live a healthy lifestyle. Check out its ‘Getting started’ page for some simple changes that could become part of your day-to-day routine. It also has some tips for healthy eating during COVID-19 and some healthy recipes to try. And if you’ve ever wondered just how healthy your lifestyle is, you can also take the healthy habits quiz. The quiz will identify where you might be able to make changes to lead a healthier lifestyle, as well as signpost you to any further help and support that’s out there. Click the image below to take the quiz.






Quick Meals for Kooris


Quick Meals for Kooris is a program that supports Aboriginal people to prepare easy, low-cost family meals using available ingredients. But the recipes can be made and enjoyed by anyone! We’ve turned some of the recipes from the Quick Meals for Kooris home cookbook into videos demonstrating how to prepare and cook the meals. Watch the playlist below.




Thirsty? Choose Water!


Our Thirsty? Choose Water! website that has loads of great resources and tips to help you and your family drink more water. Download factsheets, check out mythbusters, use our sugary drink calculator and download our awesome game Aqua Sprint, available for free on the Apple and Google Play app stores. Click on the image below, which features our Thirsty waterdrop character, to visit the site, and don’t forget to follow us Thirsty on Instagram.




Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service


Want to help improve your diet and stay active? NSW Health’s Get Healthy program is a free telephone-based information and coaching service that sets personalised healthy lifestyle goals on healthy eating, becoming more activity, achieving a healthy weight, reducing alcohol intake and achieving healthy weight gain in pregnancy. Watch the video below for more information.


Healthy lunchbox builders


Check out Cancer Council NSW’s Healthy Lunchbox page where you can use its healthy lunchbox builder and find some healthy recipes, ideas and inspiration.


Healthy eating at home







No Money No Time


Nutrition and dietetics experts at the University of Newcastle have launched the website No Money No Time. It aims to improve the eating habits of young Australians and includes quick, cheap, easy and healthy recipes. You can even take its Healthy Eating Quiz and get a personalised report on your eating habits along with recipe suggestions and ideas based on the information you provide.


Older Adults


There are a number of tailored resources for older adults that can help them stay active, healthy, connected and safe at home.


Active and Healthy


    

  • If you’re 60 or older, or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and 45 or over, you can get Healthy and Active for Life thanks to a FREE 10-week online program from NSW Health. You will receive weekly online exercise videos to do at your own pace, healthy eating and lifestyle tips, as well as telephone support from a trained coach at a time that suits you. And all from the comfort of your own home. Programs run every quarter, but places are limited – so book now to avoid missing out. To register or for more information, visit the website or call Health Promotion on 4320 9700.
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  • NSW Government has produced factsheets to support seniors in staying healthy and staying connected at home that include some handy and practical tips.
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  • Over 70? Do the 7! Click the thumbnail below to download and print a poster with advice on how to stay COVID safe.
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  • Our nutrition booklet for older adults and their carers, Eating Well, includes heaps of advice from nutritionists to help you eat the foods you need to maintain weight, muscle strength, bone strength and independence.
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  • NSW Health’s Active and Healthy at Home booklet includes practical tips and information for older adults to stay active, healthy, and connected at home, and includes available services for the elderly. You may also wish to download and print this Active and Healthy at Home flyer, which has some handy tips you can keep close by.
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  • Developed by physiotherapists across Australia, Safe Exercise at Home is a simple-to-navigate website with helpful information and exercises.
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  • The Exercise at Home section on NSW Health’s Active and Healthy website has heaps of simple exercises to improve balance and strength, along with images and videos to demonstrate.
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  • COTA (Council on the Ageing) NSW, Arthritis NSW, Diabetes NSW and ACT and the National Heart Foundation have joined forces to launch a new campaign called Stay Strong to Keep Moving. The campaign aims to provide simple ways to be more active and is particularly geared at older adults to help them improve strength and balance in order to maintain muscle mass and remain independent. You can download a campaign brochure with simple exercises to do now.
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  • The Arthritis NSW Strength and Balance Program is designed to help people living with arthritis and other musculoskeletal complaints. It’s a social program developed to support healthy joint function, build strength, manage pain and maintain and improve mobility and support healthy balance. Find out more, including how you can enroll in classes, here.
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  • Beat It is an eight-week online physical activity and lifestyle program from Diabetes NSW. It includes moderate-intensity aerobic, strength and balance-based exercises, as well as education sessions on healthier living. Suitable for all levels of fitness. To sign up for the program and other Diabetes NSW webinars, visit its website.
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Falls Prevention


While we spend much more time at home than usual, home safety awareness, such as avoiding fall risks and hazards, becomes even more important. The following resources contain advice and information on how you can stay safe in the home, along with some fun games too.


Falls information and advice



Falls-related activities for the brain



Alcohol Reduction


There are a number of health impacts caused by drinking too much alcohol, which you can read more about in the Alcohol section of this website. Here are some helpful resources to support you in drinking less, including mental health support.


    

  • Changing your drinking habits is easier with someone in your corner. Did you know you can get support over the phone from your own FREE health coach through NSW Health’s Get Healthy Service? Coaches are friendly and trained to help you change your drinking habits. They will give you practical tools and support you, without judgement, helping you to set achievable goals, make a plan (starting with small steps), and overcome barriers that stand in your way. They will work as a team with you and celebrate your successes with you. To sign up, call 1300 806 258 or click on the image below and complete the simple online form. And if you want to find out more about the dedicated service for pregnant women, click here.
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  • Want to know more about how alcohol impacts your health? Check out Get Healthy at Work’s Alcohol and your Health factsheet. It includes tips on low-risk drinking, information for women pregnant or breastfeeding, advice for men, as well as a number of support and treatment services.
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  • NSW Health has produced a handy document with tips to reduce your alcohol consumption while working from home. There’s also a version for employers too.
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  • Check out this page on Your Room – a joint initiative by NSW Health and St Vincent’s Alcohol and Drug Information Service – which has information, advice, a risk assessment tool and helplines to support you.
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  • The Alcohol and Drug Foundation has a Coping with Coronavirus page that contains a range of helpful links with advice on a number of topics, from relapse and withdrawal, to resources and support services.
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  • FARE (the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education) has created an online resource with tips, strategies and information on how to limit alcohol use, and groups you can turn to if you need support.
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  • *NEW* With endorsement and funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, FARE has also launched Every Moment Matters, a campaign about the importance of alcohol-free pregnancy and breastfeeding.  Every Moment Matters supports and empowers Australians to stop drinking alcohol through all the moments of pregnancy, right from the moment they start trying to get pregnant. Watch the short video below to see how Every Moment Matters when it comes to pregnancy and alcohol and visit the campaign website for information and resources.
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*NEW* Quit smoking


Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Quitting at any age is worth doing and will increase your life expectancy and improve your quality of life.


As soon as you stop smoking your body begins to repair itself. Within six hours your blood pressure decreases. Within six months your lungs work much better, and within two to five years there is a large drop in your risk of heart attack and stroke.


Smoking


Below are some helpful websites to support you in kicking the habit.




    

  • Visit NSW Health’s benefits of quitting smoking webpage to learn more about why you should quit and the first steps you can take to start you on your journey.
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  • iCanQuit is a helpful online resource for smokers who are about to quit smoking, are attempting to quit smoking, or need some extra motivation to stay quit for good.
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  • Quitline is a free and confidential telephone service providing customised assistance to help people quit smoking. Quitline advisors can assist people with preparing to quit, avoiding slip-ups, and staying smoke-free. You can call Quitline on 13 7848 to speak to a trained advisor, which can double your chance of quitting successfully. Alternatively, you can make a request for a call back from Quitline.
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  • Quitting smoking is the best thing that pregnant women can do for the health of their baby. Our Quit4Baby website has information and resources to help you quick smoking, as well as dedicated resources for midwives to support patients too.
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  • Ngiyang is Central Coast Local Health District’s Aboriginal Pregnancy, Child and Family Health service that provides culturally sensitive pregnancy care, parenting support and referrals for 0–5 years. The service is for all Aboriginal families living in the Gosford Local Government Area, The Entrance, Long Jetty and Bateau Bay areas. Ngiyang is staffed by Aboriginal health workers, child and family health nurses, counsellors and a midwife. One of the programs run by Ngiyang is Quit for New Life. Quit for New Life is a best practice smoking cessation program for women pregnant with an Aboriginal baby that aims to address the high rate of smoking during pregnancy and prevent relapse to smoking after birth. It provides culturally-appropriate smoking cessation support to Aboriginal pregnant women and their household members who smoke, including advice, behavioural strategies, referral to Quitline, up to 12 weeks free nicotine replacement therapy, and extended follow-up support.
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Vaping


    

  • Vaping amongst teenagers on the Central Coast is a growing problem. In response, we launched Say No to Vaping, a campaign to help raise awareness of the health risks young people are exposing themselves to by using e-cigarettes. You can read more about the campaign and download resources including posters, social media tiles and animations from our Say No to Vaping campaign webpage.
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  • Kids Health’s Vaping: What You Need to Know is a really handy webpage with information for teens on the effects of vaping.
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  • Watch this short video in which Dr Lyndon Bauer, a GP on the Central Coast and the Health Promotion Service’s research and evaluation officer, answers the burning questions around e-cigarettes and vaping – including the risks associated with COVID-19 – and debunks some myths along the way.
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Preventing Falls


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Health Promotion provides older people, their families, carers and health professionals with information and actions that can be taken to reduce the risk of falls and the injury from falls, enabling people to live independently in the community.


Want to find out how to arrange a FREE falls prevention talk to your seniors group?


Meet Helen Kale




We have a number of resources that provide information on how you can prevent or reduce your risk of falls. Click on the links below to download them, or if you’re a health professional you can order the resources for distribution to your patients using our fillable order form.


Checklists


    

  • Falls prevention checklist – includes 11 simple questions to help reduce your personal risk of a fall-related injury. Read the corresponding suggestions to find out how to make the changes you need to stay on your feet.
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  • Home safety checklist – includes suggestions on how to make your home environment safer.
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Brochures



Factsheets



Posters



Activities



 


Pharmacist
Manage your Medicines




Preventing Falls in Public Places
Preventing Falls in Public Places


Mature Woman with glasses
Make the most of your eyesight


Be Physically Active
Be physically active


Manage Chronic Conditions
Manage Chronic Conditions


Balance and Footwear pic
Balance and Footwear


Over 50s exercise active and healthy
Active & Healthy


Older couple eating breakfast
Eating Well


Home-SafetySpot the Difference
Home Safety


Falls are preventable DVD
Falls are preventable DVD


 




 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


Stepping On – free falls prevention program


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
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  • Poor nutrition
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  • Being overweight
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  • Smoking
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Other factors that increase risk are:


    

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