| Healthy Eating – Healthy Action Oranga Kai – Oranga Pumau: A strategic framework 2003 (full text version) page 1 of 6
Date of publication: March 2003
ISBN 0-478-25603-5 (book)
ISBN 0-478-25604-3 (website)
HP 3606
This is the full text online version of this document.
It is also available as a PDF file to download or print.
Contents
Foreword
Executive Summary
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Key Issues in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
Part 3: The Framework
Part 4: Key Priorities for Action
References
Foreword
Too many New Zealanders are dying or becoming ill from diseases or conditions that could be prevented by healthy eating and being physically active.
The evidence is clear that we must act now or face increasing rates of poor health and spiralling costs to the health and disability sector and society at large. | |
Getting people to improve their nutrition, and be more physically active is no easy feat. It poses major challenges to us personally and also requires changes to our social and physical environment. What we eat and how active we are is affected by a wide range of factors, such as affordability, taste and preference, culture, accessibility, time, safety, family and peer influences, skills, and convenience. Supporting people to eat well, be active and attain and maintain a healthy body weight requires a comprehensive and multi-sector approach.
Healthy Eating - Healthy Action. Oranga Kai - Oranga Pumau: A strategic framework shows the way forward and sets out a framework for making these changes happen. This strategy calls for a more integrated approach to addressing nutrition, physical activity and obesity, highlighting the importance of both individual behaviour and our environment.
As a companion to this strategy Healthy Eating - Healthy Action. Oranga Kai - Oranga Pumau: A background, sets out the key issues, evidence and justification for the framework. Both documents form the strategic direction for the development of a national implementation plan that will turn this strategy into reality.
I would like to thank the many individuals and organisations that contributed to this strategy, either by commenting on draft papers, attending consultation meetings, hui and fono and those who provided expert peer review. This is one issue where everyone can make a difference, so a healthy diet and a more active lifestyle is achievable for everyone.
Hon Annette King
Minister of Health
Executive Summary
Far too many New Zealanders die prematurely or become ill from preventable diseases and conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity. This follows a worldwide trend of increasing deaths from non-communicable diseases. Improving nutrition, increasing physical activity levels and achieving healthy weight across the population can reduce the risk of developing these diseases and conditions.
Improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and reducing obesity are population health priorities in the New Zealand Health Strategy. Because these issues are inherently inter-related, this draft strategy aims to forge an integrated approach to improving population health in these three areas.
Healthy Eating – Healthy Action: A strategic framework is a planning tool for action. It will help to define key priorities, establish a framework for addressing nutrition, physical activity and obesity, and drive our efforts over the next five years. It is supported by Healthy Eating – Healthy Action: A background, which provides the justification for the framework. Both of these important documents form the basis of the implementation plan for Healthy Eating – Healthy Action, which will be developed with the assistance of a group of key stakeholders co-ordinated by the Ministry of Health. It is anticipated that the implementation plan will identify, promote and co-ordinate culturally appropriate, effective and integrated programmes at national, regional, iwi and hapu, whanau and community levels.
Healthy Eating – Healthy Action is directed at a range of service providers and sectors. It identifies key policy priorities for the Ministry of Health, and will guide the funding of programmes and services by District Health Boards, and research priorities for the Health Research Council and other funders. It emphasises the need for partnerships outside the health sector, and offers guidance for intersectoral action with other central and local government agencies, non-governmental organisations and industry. Healthy Eating – Healthy Action also recognises the importance of addressing environmental modification as well as behavioural change to improve nutrition, increase physical activity and reduce obesity.
The principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and directions for reducing inequalities in health are fundamental elements of this strategy.
Key priorities for action are:
- lower socioeconomic groups
- children, young people, and their family and wha¯nau (including older people)
- environments
- communication
- workforce.
In each priority area the rationale is provided for its selection, along with objectives (linked to the approaches for action) and suggestions for broad high-level actions that could be taken.
The approaches for action in the strategy are framed by the Ottawa Charter: working to ensure healthy policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, reorienting services and programmes, and monitoring, research and evaluation.
The key population health messages
To improve nutrition, increase physical activity and maintain a healthy body weight:
- eat a variety of nutritious foods
- eat less fatty, salty and sugary foods
- eat more vegetables and fruits
- fully breastfeed infants for at least six months
- be active every day for at least 30 minutes in as many ways as possible
- add some vigorous exercise for extra benefit and fitness
- aim to maintain a healthy weight throughout life
- promote and foster the development of environments that support healthy lifestyles.
The key population health messages for this strategy do not replace the Food and Nutrition Guidelines. The intention is to provide the reader with a simple summary of the key messages for Healthy Eating – Healthy Action.
These messages are appropriate at both a population and a personal level, because changing behaviour requires significant changes to both personal behaviours and the supporting environment. However, the specific wording and mode of communication of the messages will vary depending on the audience.
Related information:
Physical Activity homepage
Food and nutrition publications
Healthy Eating Healthy Action - a strategic framework
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