4 ‘Go for your life’ Victoria - leading the way to a healthy and active community

What we want to do
The ‘Go for your life’ Strategic Plan 2006-2010 seeks to improve the ongoing health and wellbeing of
the Victorian community by reducing preventable chronic diseases.
Poor nutrition and physical inactivity are key factors Objectives
in the increasing burden of chronic diseases worldwide.
While the economic benefit from promoting good Healthy eating
nutrition and physical activity is well established,1 less is • Increase consumption of fruit and vegetables
known about what can be done to change eating and
• Decrease consumption of energy-dense food and
activity behaviours to achieve this benefit. Victorians
need access to authoritative advice about changing drinks
their behaviour – and governments, businesses and • Increase breastfeeding
non-government organisations need sound evidence
about how they can best support behaviour change Physical activity
across the community. • Increase physical activity levels
We know that significant behaviour change takes • Reduce sedentary behaviour
time. We also know that governments cannot tackle
• Increase active transport
these issues alone: coordination and collaboration
between all levels of government, non-government
Structural changes to support healthy
organisations, businesses, communities and
individuals is required. The ‘Go for your life’ Strategic
eating and physical activity
Plan provides a cooperative framework for activities • Improve healthy food access and supply for all
that will help Victoria to become a more healthy and groups in the community
active community, with significant reductions in • Develop the built and natural environment to
chronic diseases. As well as a longer term vision support physical activity
and medium term goal, the Plan includes objectives,
• Address the underlying health inequality impacts
a set of universally agreed guiding principles and
initial measures of success. The Plan is expected on healthy eating and physical activity
to evolve over time and in response to attaining a
better understanding about which particular Measures of success
initiatives are successful. A reduction in the prevalence and incidence of
preventable chronic disease associated with poor
Longer term vision nutrition and the lack of physical activity
Victoria will be a world leader in the development of A reduction in the economic cost to the community of
healthy and active communities chronic disease associated with poor nutrition and lack
of physical activity
Medium term goal The achievement of significant gains in relation to
To improve the health and wellbeing of Victorians disadvantaged population groups
through healthy eating and increased participation in
physical activity
 ‘Go for your life’ Victoria - leading the way to a healthy and active community 5

Why the need for action

The failure to tackle increasing rates of obesity and chronic diseases will lead to significant – and rising
– personal, social and economic costs for the Victorian community.

Obesity The cost of inaction

Around the world, obesity has reached epidemic Overseas studies have established that overweight and
proportions, with more than one billion adults obesity represent between 2% and 9% of healthcare
overweight and around 300 million of those adults costs. In the USA, 9.1% of medical expenditure has
clinically obese. Public health literature refers to this as been attributed to overweight and obesity related
a ‘globesity’ epidemic.2 Obesity is recognised as a major issues, potentially reaching as high as US$92.6 billion.4
contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and In Sweden, medication costs have been calculated as
disability. 77% higher for people with obesity.5 These trends
demonstrate the importance of reducing the economic
Obesity is associated with increased consumption of
costs of overweight and obesity.
energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods that have high levels
of sugar and saturated fats, together with reduced The cost to society is more than the direct healthcare
physical activity. costs for disorders such as diabetes and other chronic
diseases. Other costs include reduced employment,
Healthy weight increased sick days and lower workforce participation
rates. Costs to individuals include stress, lower self-
Healthy weight has a positive effect on our health and
esteem, depression and diminished quality of life.
wellbeing. A reasonable definition of what constitutes
healthy and unhealthy weight is based on the body
mass index (BMI), which is the ratio of weight to height.
This takes into account the fact that taller people have
more tissue than shorter people and so tend to weigh
more. A healthy weight is considered one that has a
BMI between 20 and 25. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is defined
as overweight and a BMI of 30 or higher is defined as
obese.3 This definition has been developed following
dozens of studies that have included more than one
million adults and that show that a BMI above 25
increases the chances of dying early, mainly from heart
disease or cancer, and that a BMI above 30 dramatically
increases these chances.
The concept of a healthy weight is not restricted to only
those who suffer from too much weight: being
underweight can cause as wide a range of medical
problems as being overweight. Eating disorders, such
as anorexia nervosa and bulimia are the third highest
causes of mortality for adolescent girls.
6 ‘Go for your life’ Victoria - leading the way to a healthy and active community

How Victorians shape up

Obesity is ranked second in Victoria as a cause of premature death and disability, and many Victorians
have poor eating habits and unhealthy lifestyles.

Nutrition and physical activity Body image

The Victorian Population Health Survey 2004 found that
only 7% of Victorians aged over 18 ate the
recommended five or more serves of vegetables each
day. The survey also found that a greater proportion of
females than males ate the recommended number of
daily serves of vegetables and that older Victorians
tended to consume the most vegetables.6 In addition,
the survey found that nearly half the Victorian population
failed to meet the national guidelines threshold for
physical activity. Modern technology has meant that
work and home activities have become less energy
intensive. High levels of sedentary modes of transport
have also contributed to low rates of physical activity,
including the high number of households with cars.
Overweight and obesity
Approximately 3.3 million Australians are obese, with
another 5.6 million overweight.7 In Victoria, obesity is
ranked second as a cause of premature death and
disability, contributing to 8% of the overall burden of
disease.8 Disturbingly, the prevalence of overweight
Australian children almost doubled during the last
decade, while levels of obesity more than tripled.
Conservative estimates indicate that 23% of Australian
children are overweight or obese.9 Over the last two
decades obesity rates among adults have also
increased. Between 1980 and 2000, rates of obesity or
overweight among males aged 25 to 64 years increased
from 47.3% to 65.7%. Among women, the rate
increased from 27.2% in 1980 to 46.5% in 2000.10
Obesity is particularly related to diabetes, heart disease
and hypertension. Obese women in Australia are four
times more likely to have diabetes than women of a
healthy weight. Obese men and women have double
the rate of high blood pressure than people of a healthy
weight. Obese women are more likely than healthy
weight women to have visited a hospital, day clinic or
consulted a doctor in the last fortnight. In addition to
the health impacts, overweight or obese people may
also be subject to discrimination and negative attitudes
in response to their body weight.11
The recent Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the
development of negative body image among young
people provides compelling evidence of the
consequences for young people, their families and
communities of negative body image that can lead to
disordered thinking about self and food. Anorexia
nervosa is third after obesity and asthma as a health
issue for adolescent girls in Australia. The inquiry found
that young people with negative body image
tend to be overly self-critical and have low self-esteem.
This severely limits their capacity to participate in
school, sport, family life and a range of other important
social activities.
Burden of disease
The Department of Human Services series of studies on
the Victorian Burden of Disease have projected a 50%
increase in obesity and a sustained prevalence of
overweight for the Australian population.12 The studies
firmly establish the link between poor nutrition and poor
eating habits, combined with a decline in physical
activity, as the prominent causes of a decline in a
healthy lifestyle and resulting overweight, and obesity.
The most recent study indicated that cardiovascular
disease, cancers and injuries were responsible for 73%
of the total mortality burden in both men and women.
‘Go for your life’ Victoria - leading the way to a healthy and active community 7
8 ‘Go for your life’ Victoria - leading the way to a healthy and active community
What we have done so far
The Victorian Government has demonstrated its commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles by
funding significant new preventative health initiatives and pushing successfully for action at the
national level to reduce chronic diseases.
Victorian Government activities
Over the last decade, a range of evidence about the
need for action has become available and early
responses have been developed. Recognising the
importance of this issue, in October 2002, the Victorian
Government hosted a two-day forum to address the
issue of obesity and, in particular, the growing problem
of child obesity. Citizens and experts came together to
discuss one of Victoria’s most serious health problems.
In 2003-04, the Victorian Government invested
$21.9 million in a range of new initiatives designed to
encourage Victorians to participate in their communities
and adopt healthier lifestyles. This included initiatives
aimed at improving eating habits, increasing levels of
physical activity and getting involved with
neighbourhood and local community activities. An
example of this work is the ‘Be Active Eat Well’ project
implemented in Colac, where results show a significant
impact on childhood obesity.
The 2006-07 State Budget provided $87.0 million over
four years to promote health and wellbeing. This
included further investment of $57.5 million for ‘Go
for your life’ with an ongoing focus on increasing levels
of physical activity and encouraging healthy eating.
The new initiatives aim to leverage off existing activities
and opportunities to increase awareness and change
people’s behaviour. More detail about these initiatives
is provided later in this document.
Funding of $29.5 million is also available for initiatives
targeting tobacco use and other known risk factors for
chronic diseases. These initiatives complement and
provide funding for health care reforms proposed as
part of the Australian Better Health Initiative by the
Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
In addition to these investments, the Victorian
Government has also funded a number of related
activities, which will impact on eating and physical
activity behaviours of Victorians. These include
investments in walking and cycling, as part of Meeting
Our Transport Challenges, and ongoing investment in
the development of Victoria’s food industry, which plays
an essential role in shaping people’s food choices.
In July 2006, a strategic planning consultation was
conducted in Melbourne to give stakeholders the
opportunity to participate in the development of the
Strategic Plan and to discuss priorities and future
actions. Representatives attended from government,
non-government organisations, industry, community
and academic institutions.
National context
In 2002, Australia’s Health Ministers established a
National Obesity Taskforce to tackle the problem of
rising overweight and obesity levels in Australia.
Recognising the importance of instilling good habits
early in life, the Taskforce initially focussed on children
and young people, and produced Healthy Weight 2008 -
Australia’s Future, a National Action Agenda for Children
and Young People and their Families.13
In 2004, Health Ministers asked the Taskforce to
undertake a review of the evidence for actions to
reduce overweight and obesity in adults and older
Australians, which resulted in the development of
Healthy Weight for Adults and Older Australians.14
More recently, COAG announced a new National Reform
Agenda to support Australia’s future prosperity by
increasing workforce participation and productivity. A
core stream of these reforms relates to preventative
health and in particular the prevention of diabetes.
Linked to the National Reform Agenda is the Australian
Better Health Initiative, which focuses on promoting
healthy lifestyles with a view to reduce the incidence of
chronic disease and improving overall health outcomes.
Some ‘Go for your life’ programs form part of the
Victorian Government’s contribution to the Australian
Better Health Initiative.
 ‘Go for your life’ Victoria - leading the way to a healthy and active community 9

Other sectors The food and food manufacturing industries have

acknowledged their role in ensuring access to
Substantial attention has been given to healthy eating and
nutritious food that meets the health needs of the
physical activity by non-government organisations,
community. Increasingly, food manufacturers are
particularly those organisations with an interest in
seeing a market in the provision of tasty, less
preventing chronic disease and keeping people active.
energy-dense foods. The Australian Association of
VicHealth and non-government organisations with a health
National Advertisers has coordinated an advertising,
focus, such as the Cancer Council Victoria, Diabetes
marketing and media industry response to these
Australia (Victoria) and the National Heart Foundation
issues, including an Advertising to Children Code,
(Victorian Division) have all made significant investments
an awareness campaign and a Marketing
in this area. Local government and organisations in the
Communications Code.
sport and recreation sector have also been involved and
have contributed research and activities in this area,
particularly in promoting physical activity.