Role of the Government in promoting healthy eating I wish someone would offer me a low fat slice of cake to have with this cuppa!

Public Health Public Health is concerned with the whole community rather than just the individual. The public health approach : Promotes health & prevents disease by managing community’s environment Promotes healthy lifestyle Targets populations that are particularly vulnerable to disease or malnutrition Requires collaboration of the public, consumers, policy makers and health professionals as well as the involved organisations (government and non- government organisations)

The role of the government in promoting healthy eating To respond to immediate health issues E.g. through raising awareness, increasing funding to particular medical areas AND To develop policy and guidelines that will address future health issues E.g. The Australian Guide to Health Eating

SIGNAL The Strategic Inter-Governmental Nutrition Alliance The nutrition part of the National Public Health Partnership Aim: to direct and coordinate national nutrition strategies.

Four Main Focuses of SIGNAL 1.Develop and implement national public health and nutrition strategies - eg Eat Well Australia 2.Promote vegetable and fruit consumption 3.Develop, promote and evaluate national guidelines - eg The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating 4.Develop communication and information sharing networks.

Main initiatives developed by SIGNAL Eat Well Australia The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating The Dietary Guidelines for Australians

Developed by SIGNAL A public health nutrition framework & agenda Aim: to improve nutrition in Australia and reduce the burden of diet related disease HOW??? – By taking a national approach to public health nutrition, it allows greater consistency and organisation of government policy and strategy across Australia.

Eat Well Australia 5 main health priorities Preventing overweight and obesity Increasing the consumption of vegetables and fruit Promoting optimal nutrition for women, infants and children Improving nutrition for vulnerable groups - Eg rural and isolated populations, low income groups and Indigenous Australians Addressing structural barriers to safe and healthy food.

Government Strategies to address the Eat Well initiative ‘Promote healthy eating in school aged children’ Go for 2 and 5 Kids Go for Your Life Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents Nutrition programs in schools Body image and eating disorder programs Healthy school canteen policies/programs Review of the Code of Advertising during children’s television Kids in the Kitchen Project Market gardens in schools Traffic lights in labeling.

What are some Government Strategies to address the other Eat Well initiatives?? Promoting vegetable and fruit consumption: Promoting healthy weight: Promoting good nutrition for mothers: Improving nutrition to vulnerable groups:

Dietary Guidelines for Australians Provide advice to the general population about healthy eating Because we have different dietary requirements at different stages of the life span they have developed: – Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia – Dietary Guidelines for Australian adults – Dietary Guidelines for older Australians

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating Funded by the Commonwealth Department as part of the National Food and Nutrition Policy. An educational tool to help Australians to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for choosing a healthy diet Based on the Australians Dietary Guidelines and the Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDIs) 5 segments to represent the food groups in proportions necessary for a varied and nutritious diet Accompanied by a guide of what is a serve of each food group and how many serves you require daily