Foodbank is assisting teams from the South Metropolitan Public Health Unit to educate and support people in danger of becoming chronically obese. Emma Young, in an article on the news site inmycommunity.com.au, states that the Australian Bureau of Statistics recently released the results of a national health survey which indicated that almost 70 per cent of adults in Australia are overweight or suffering from obesity.
Megan Milligan of the Kelmscott team of the South Metropolitan Public Health Unit is quoted in the article as saying that the organisations targeted people at risk, and tried to give support while they developed the necessary personal skills to help them adopt a healthy diet. She commented:
“Food then needs to be available — there are twice as many fast food outlets in the Armadale area, for example, as for fruit and veg.”
This is where contributions from organisations such as Foodbank are vital.
As for education, there are many documents and fact sheets available for download from the Western Australian Department of Health web site. The Physical Activity Fact Sheet outlines the downside of inactivity and the advantages of being active. This fact sheet and several similar ones would be ideal for poster printing projects for community groups, as they could be displayed in kitchens and common areas of workplaces and public buildings.