Knowledge Exchange November
Healthy Choice: The Easy Choice – State and Regional Sport Showcase

VicHealth hosted their State and Regional Sport Showcase at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on 22 November 2016, chaired by VicHealth’s Stephen Grun (Executive Manager, Marketing & Communications).

Representatives from State Sporting Associations (SSAs) and Regional Sporting Assemblies (RSAs) received updates on current projects, ongoing research outcomes and opportunities for program improvement in the future.

MSAC CEO Phil Meggs opened the forum with an outline of the programs underway at the various centres across their organisation which aimed to ensure there were fresh, popular healthy choice options available to all attendees. Phil touched on their review of sponsorship agreements and alternations to supply chains for health choice food options (which he noted was a large, but not impossible hurdle).

SSAs then provided an update on current programs:

• AFL focussed on their coach education to ensure healthy choices are implemented from the start of grass roots participation.
• Netball Victoria created facts sheets and substituted traditional pre and post game options for healthier choices.
• Touch Football had instigated several ‘nudges’ by their volunteers across local clubs.
• Basketball Victoria had also created specific resources and undertaken an internal H30 challenge.
• Baseball Victoria developed a toolkit aimed at their volunteers and participations that took a simple language approach to small nudge changes.

RSAs also provided an update, with their nudge creating a ‘meal with a water deal.’ Seeing the most effective result, the RSAs also undertook the H20 challenges and a range of nudges.

Dr Matthew Nicholson (Director, Centre for Sport and Social Impact, La Trobe University) who summarised findings from a review of the results across SSAs and RSAs. Data available demonstrated that nudges were slightly effective in influencing people’s choices, increasing the intake of water against the selection of a red drink option.

Sharon Laurence (State Public Health Nutritionist, Department of Health and Human Services) and Prof Anna Peeters (Professor of Epidemiology and Equity in Public Health, Deakin University) spoke on food and nutrition policy support and the guidelines employed across the field.

Other Healthy Choices Program presentations included:

• Kirstan Corben (Lead for Population Health and Health Promotion), Alfred Health – exceeded healthy choice targets, the project has been years in the making, worked closely with retails to ensure the change was effective.
• Alethea Jerebine (Health Promotion Project Officer) YMCA Victoria – established a ‘soft drink free summer’ that removed a significant amount of red drink sales.
• Greg Jacobs (Team Leader Health Projects) City of Melbourne, their pilot program has seen an increase in green drink sales and will allow for implementation plans across the organisation.

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