Title: The role of VicHealth in promoting health, including its mission, priorities and how it reflects the social model of health
1The role of VicHealth in promoting health,
including its mission, priorities and how it
reflects the social model of health
2The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation
- The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation
(VicHealth) was established in 1987 by the
Victorian government. - VicHealth was formed to promote good health and
prevent disease in Victoria and was originally
funded through taxation on tobacco - It works in partnership with organisations,
communities and individuals to make health a
central part of our daily lives.
3About VicHealth
- It is the peak body for health promotion in
Victoria - Its role is to promote good health for all
Victorians - VicHealth acknowledges that health is influenced
by many factors - The principles guiding Vic healths strategic
focus are consistent with the social model of
health and the Ottawa Charter
4- Vic Health itself does not run health- promotion
programs and projects in the community rather
it funds and works in partnerships with
organisations, communities and individuals to
create opportunities for more people to be
informed about health, to learn new skills and to
have greater access to activities and healthy
environments.
5The VicHealth priorities as identified in the
VicHealth Strategy and Business Plan 20092013
are
- reducing smoking
- improving nutrition
- reducing harm from alcohol
- increasing physical activity
- increasing social and economic participation
- reducing harm from UV exposure
6The VicHealth mission statement
- That is VicHealth envisages a community where
- health is a fundamental human right
- everyone shares in the responsibility for
promoting health - everyone benefits from improved health outcomes
7- Our mission is to build the capabilities of
organisations, communities and individuals in
ways that - change social, economic, cultural and physical
environments to improve health for all Victorians - strengthen the understanding and the skills of
individuals in ways that support their efforts to
achieve and maintain health.
8VicHealth and the social model of health
- The approach of VicHealth reflects the social
models of health, including the Ottawa Charter
for Health Promotion, namely - Build healthy public policy
- Create supportive environments
- Strengthen community action
- Develop personal skills
- Reorient health services
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11Increasing participation in physical activity
- Focus on disadvantage populations, indigenous,
disabilities and low income - helping clubs buy equipment and train staff,
- getting children to be more active by walking to
school and playing out of school hours ( walking
school Bus) - promoting the importance of good urban planning
to encourage walking and cycling, reduce car
dependency and improve safety - connecting organisations and individuals so that
local communities have better access to physical
activity and sporting options - research about what influences people to be
physically active
12Reducing tobacco use
- VicHealth invests nearly 4 million each year to
reduce harm from tobacco. The money supports Quit
Victoria and the VicHealth Centre for Tobacco
Control at the Cancer Council Victoria. - The Quit campaign runs smoking cessation
programs is involved in legal and regulatory
reform works to prevent young people from taking
up smoking and promotes smokefree environments.
13Legislation on smokefree environments
- On 5th May 2005, the Health Minister Bronwyn
Pike announced reforms to the Tobacco Act which
include - smoking bans in enclosed workplaces from 1 March
2006 - smoking bans in enclosed licensed premises from 1
July 2007 - bans on the promotion of tobacco products and the
sale of tobacco products at underage
'music/dance' events from 1 March 2006 - smoking bans in covered areas of train station
platforms, tram stops and bus stops from 1 March
2006 - bans on 'buzz marketing' and non-branded tobacco
advertising from 1 March 2006 - strengthening laws to enforce the ban on
cigarette sales to young people from 1 March 2006
14Increasing optimal nutrition
- investments in healthy eating are primarily
focused on improving regular access to healthy
food among Victorias most disadvantaged. - In addition, work in partnership with researchers
and non-government organisations to advocate for
and support policies and legislation that
encourage nutritious food choices in the areas of
food retail, marketing, advertising and supply
15Food for all
- VicHealth believes that local councils are best
placed to develop relevant, integrated and
long-lasting strategies to tackle this
problem. Vic health supports councils to - making sure there are local sources of fresh
fruit and vegetables at affordable prices - ensuring that those living in poor quality
housing have access to food storage and cooking
facilities - improving food and cooking knowledge amongst
disadvantaged groups - improving transport options for those without a
car - increasing community awareness of the problem of
food insecurity
16Reducing harm from alcohol
- VicHealth works with government and community
partners to facilitate innovative approaches to
alcohol-harm reduction. - an emphasis on advocacy and research to build the
evidence base for policy and programs - Alcohol policy Coalition
- Good sports program
17Promoting healthy eating
- VicHealths Food for All program supports eight
local councils to increase local access to
healthy and affordable food, particularly fruit
and vegetables. - VicHealth is also working with health researchers
and health organisations to influence policies
and laws relating to food production, advertising
and sales, so that it is easier for people to
make healthy food choices. - Diabetes Victoria is funded to create the
Parents Jury, a web-based network of parents in
which they can share information and work
together to push for changes to improve the food
and physical environments for children.