ANA Forums 2006

ANA Regional Nutrition and Physical Activity Forums were held in six locations in 2006. The forums are funded by the Ministry of Health and Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) to support workforce development and networking.

Reaching your target audience

The Christchurch Forum focused on marketing with presentations from the Christchurch City Council Marketing team and Kim Mundell, Managing Director of Healthy Food Guide magazine. Kim outlined three marketing traps and six steps to building effectiveness.

Marketing traps

• The task is too big (for the resources at hand)
  Ask yourself: When did you last say no?
  Fight for the right to focus!
• The wrong audience
  Often we create promotions that are targeted at our peers rather than our target group. Ask yourself: Am I targeting consumers or peers?
• Misunderstood messages
  Did they hear what you intended?

Building Effectiveness

• Are you aiming for someone? Narrow down the target.
• Have you answered the WIIFM – What's in it for me?
• Have you told them HOW?
• Keep it simple. Does it pass the two second test?
• Are you speaking their language?
• Know your limitations. Do you need to fire yourself from that task?

Obesity Prevention in Communities (OPIC)

Obesity Prevention in Communities (OPIC) is a five-year international study in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. It examines the effectiveness of obesity intervention strategies in schools, churches, villages and neighbourhoods and aims to build Pacific research capacity within regions. Associate Professor Robert Scragg, Dr David Schaaf and Jody Warbrick updated the Auckland Forum on the initial results from the 2005 OPIC baseline survey, and on interventions to date.

In New Zealand, the team is working with four South Auckland intervention schools and is focusing on the following outcomes:

• increasing the proportion of students eating breakfast before school
• decreasing high sugar drinks and promoting water consumption
• increasing the healthiness of school food consumption
• decreasing recreational screen time
• increasing physical activity at lunchtime and after school.

These five factors were chosen based on a meeting with the school communities and on the main risk factors for obesity identified from the results of the 2002 Children's Nutrition Survey, which are:

• physical inactivity
• missing breakfast
• purchasing school food from a dairy
• consuming soft drinks
• watching television.

Jody discussed her work on the school intervention programme 'Living 4 Life' which uses a range of strategies developed with the students, parents and teachers of the school. Examples include using social marketing to promote breakfast and water consumption, improving water fountains, working with canteen providers to improve menus, and working with the Heart Foundation on school nutrition policies.

Jennifer Utter reported on her studies of nutritional correlates of obesity. Findings include:

• the nutrition risk factors for obesity reported in the Children's Nutrition Survey were similar for the older students participating in OPIC
• a high proportion of students were trying to lose weight
• those students who were trying to lose weight appear to already be making changes to their eating patterns, such as eating breakfast, consuming more vegetables and reducing fast foods and high sugar/high fat snack foods.

Fa'asisila Savila looked at whether Pacific youth attending church have higher or lower levels of obesity risk factors. He found that students attending church were more likely to get breakfast and lunch from a dairy or school canteen, and that they had a higher mean BMI. He also found there is a lot of potential benefit to be gained through church interventions as around 90 percent of Tongan and Samoan students reported attending church.

Project Energize

Stephanie McLennan from Sport Waikato presented to the Hamilton Forum about the Project Energize programme being carried out in Waikato.

Project Energize is a primary school based nutrition and activity programme aiming to increase children's activity levels, reduce sedentary time, and improve nutrition. It started in January 2005. Project Energize interventions are delivered to many Waikato primary schools by a team of 'energizers' trained in the Health Promotion framework – Children's Nutrition and Activity. The 'energizers' work with each school to increase physical activity or improve nutrition on a step by step basis, starting with the area that a school identifies as a priority.

• For more information see: www.projectenergize.org.nz.

Let's Beat Diabetes

Paul Stephenson updated the Auckland Forum about the Let's Beats Diabetes plan led by the Counties Manukau District Health Board.

Action areas include:

1. supporting Community Leadership and action
2. promoting behaviour change through Social Marketing
3. changing Urban Design to support healthy active lifestyles
4. supporting a healthy environment through a Food Industry Accord
5. strengthening Health Promotion co-ordination and activity
6. enhancing Well-Child services to reduce childhood obesity
7. developing Schools, for Children Fit, Healthy and Ready to Learn
8. supporting Primary Care-based Prevention and early intervention
9. enabling Vulnerable Families to make healthy choices
10. improving Service Integration and Care for advanced diseases.

For more information see: www.letsbeatdiabetes.org.nz.