Healthy Eating in Central Hume: Highlights of Collaboration 2012-2017

All health agencies in the Central Hume Primary Care Partnership (CHPCP) have been working on improving healthy eating. This report highlights the collaboration between the health promotion/prevention workers in Alpine, Benalla, Mansfield and Wangaratta local government areas from 2012 to 2017.

Key Stakeholders: Our vision: • Local communities, including rural areas and “All people in the community members Hume Region are able • Children aged 0 - 12 years and their families to have access to food • Settings where children and their families live, work that is safe, nutritious and and play, e.g. early childhood centres, schools, culturally valued” workplaces and the community • Local Governments - Rural City of Wangaratta, Plan Aims Benalla Rural City Council, Council and Mansfield Shire Council Improve access to healthy • Other agencies engaged - intersectoral e.g. food, particularly fruit and education, early years, charities, disability sector, vegetables local businesses. Improve breastfeeding rates This is the first time all agencies have worked on a joint health promotion plan: Healthy Eating Plan 2012 - 2017. This collaboration takes a whole-of-community approach to working with places where children & their families live, work and play. This plan utilised an Equity Lens, engaging socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, working with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders, and working in identified food desert areas. Our collaboration focused on using a strengths-based approach and engaging with communities to build their capacity in improving healthy eating. Partner Agencies Alpine Health Benalla Health Gateway Health Northeast Health Wangaratta Mansfield District Hospital Women’s Health Goulburn North East (partner agency)

Central Hume Primary Care Partnership Change in healthy eating Page 1 What has been achieved?

Healthy food initiatives were run in partnership with community members and organisations across the Central Hume catchment. They aimed to make the healthy choice easy for children and families, with a focus on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.

The two Food Networks established have experienced a 300% and 240% increase in initiatives delivered through partnerships in Wangaratta & Benalla respectively.

The North East Food Policy and Strategy Discussion Paper was developed to direct Wangaratta Grow catchment level Your Idea enabled 25 Fruit and vegetable box delivery food policy work. community led projects. This surveys found that 69% (Benalla reached 2,630 community Rural City) and 44% (Rural City of members Wangaratta) of children ate more (10% population). fruit and vegetables.

• Increased access to fruit and vegetables in food desert areas. • The Healthy Food Basket Survey was conducted in 2012 and 2017. Across the • “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” venues increased from 10 in 2012 to 101 in 2017. Baby Change facilities have also increased in numbers Central Hume and quality. catchment there was • Catchment wide Communities Latching on to Breastfeeding social a 6.28% increase in marketing campaign, including the Pregnancy and Breastfeeding breastfeeding at 3 Journey maps were made available to the public. months

Place Based Interventions 10 early childhood services received the Smiles 4 Miles award that encourages healthy eating and good dental health for 4 - 5 year olds. Primary schools engaged with several initiatives such as the Healthy Eating Advisory Service, Walk to School, Benalla Grow Your Own, Wangaratta Grow Your Idea projects among others. 13 workplaces registered with the Achievement Program.

Central Hume Primary Care Partnership Change in healthy eating Page 2 How have we got there?

1) Systems Level - Use of the Healthy Food Connect Model to direct change

Include Healthy Eating in Undertake a Implement healthy food Identify and Form a 1 Council Plan and local food healthy food access in local 2005 2017 prioritise local food 3 Municipal Health access needs access government and Wellbeing Plans actions network assessment initiatives policy and planning

Health promotion workers have successfully advocated Healthy Eating in Healthy Eating in over several local government planning cycles to include 0 Council Plans 2 Council Plans and 2012 2 Municipal Health food in high level Council policies. and Wellbeing Plans 2) Place - based initiatives for each of our four Local Government Areas - Evidence for each Local Government Area was used to target local food initiatives. 3) Community Engagement - All local initiatives required high level community engagement.

Geographical Spatial Mapping was completed to track food deserts after initiatives were implemented.

INDIGO SHIRE G LEN C REEK

7 D DEDERANG A 6 WANG O AN R UPPER DAR E Y ROAD MUDGEGONGA ER AN S L W S 7 R O BO E V

G E CO N O LL EGE S R 6 LANE ST 1 PINI R IV AD E O R R TOWONG SHIRE E ^ KANCOONA ED W AN L ^ AR K

D R S OVENS A 5 P ST R (! EET 5 ¬ HAVILAH ¬¬¬ 4 6 CORAL BANK ¬¬¬ 5 EUROBIN (! WILLI BUFFALO RIVER AM EET S ROAD NUG NUG R

AD ST

O

R N

D (! ¬ ¬¬¬ PSO ¬ ¬ ¬ EET AN I ¬¬¬

POREPUNKAH L L R

L R TAWONGA I ST O

PH BRIGHT 5 W 6 AN ¬ ^ ¬¬¬RO SW W ^ ^ ¬¬¬ AN ST ¬ GR MOUNT BUFFALO REET ¬¬¬ EA ^ (! ¬¬¬ T AL S ! (! PI N (!¬ ! ( NE O ¬¬¬ (! RO W MOUNT BEAUTY ¬¬¬ AD Y K ¬ (! (!(!(! C EE ¬ WANDILOIGONRG R (! ¬¬¬ (! (! E C ¬¬(!¬ ! (! ¬ V E E ¬ (! ¬¬¬ DANDONGADALE E K IL (! ! (! ¬¬¬ N M (!¬ ¬¬ 5 E ¬ ¬(!¬¬ ¬ ^ S ST ¬ ¬ ¬ M ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬¬¬ E ¬ ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ ¬¬ R ¬¬¬¬¬ ¬¬ R ¬¬¬ ¬ ¬¬ ¬ O H ¬¬¬ ¬¬¬¬¬¬!¬ ¬ T ¬¬¬ ¬(!¬¬ (! I ¬ N ¬(!¬ R V ¬¬¬ ! E S R E (!

APPI S

C SISE R LY AVE E FALLS CREEK E ! K O CL ^ (!! V EA EN R HARRIETVILLE S R CR C IV EE RISP S ER K TREET H 3 IG ABBEYARD H PL AI NS C O RE X E LE K Y K F L E A T RIVER E S ANNIE R HOTHAM HEIGHTS R C O A D WANGARATTA RURAL CITY O

G

N Myrtleford I D DINNER PLAIN M E UM U M ¬¬¬ N ER ¬(!¬¬ Y ¬¬¬ K VE RO I A AD ¬ N ^ EET ¬ R ¬¬¬ G E R ¬¬!¬ ¬¬ ¬ R N ST (! ¬¬¬ O HALLS ROAD ¬¬¬ M I H ¬¬¬ V T D ¬ U IS E A R D AD ¬ R R O ¬¬¬ D AN EL G R ¬ O MA ¬¬ O SON A C ST G STREE I T H N R ET

I R R ST V ! ( O E G ^ R A R EET W 6 D O N RILEY CREEK G AD U O R N 1:40,000 G E A N R O T R A

R I V E MANSFIELD SHIRE R Legend Community Food Access SEIFA IRSD (2011) Bright Tawonga Sth & Mt Beauty FoodOutlets - Essential Achievement Program Grow Your Idea ^ Community Food Swaps Decile ranking within Australia ¬ ¬¬¬ ROAD ^ FT ruit and vegetable outlet ¬¬¬ 1 Most Disadvantaged AK ^ H Community Gardens OOR Early Years Venue ^ T EMBAN R 2 KMEN EE ^ T DRIVE Baby Venue Markets ^ 3 M Transport Type ! I BabyL Care Venue Primary Schools 4 E Road Waterway C WELLINC GTON SHIRE (! Breastfeeding Welcome 5 O R Rail E Main BD Workplaces 6 ^ CommunityEK Event " " " " " EN ^ Bike Path 7 S " " " " " W Transport Infrastructure T Bus Route R Other Programs AN 8 Y EE ^ G A Major Roads AR 9 T Food For All Land Use Type W A EE Local Roads Smiles For Miles T R 10 Most Advantaged 1:40,000 1:40,000 Residential TA-W F H IT Other Community Food Reserved for Environment, Parks and Recreation F K I E EL E D R E R C M O Disclaimer Note: Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) E U A IL H D The State of and Alpine Health M do not warrant the accuracy or the E N completeness ofinformation in this Alpine Shire O Fresh Fruit & Vegetables Outlets product and any person usingor relying ± Disclaimer Note: upon such information does so on the 0 5 10 15 basis that the State of Victoria and Alpine Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage Vs Community Food Initiatives The State of Victoria and Gateway Health ± Township of Wangaratta Health shall bear no responsibility or liability km Service do not warrant the accuracy or the completeness of whatsoever for any errors, faults, defects or information in this product and any person using or relying 0 0.25 0.5 1 omissions in the information. By Toby Alker-Jones (Sept 2017) upon such information does so on the basis that the State of Food outlets that offer fruit and vegetables, and All Community Programs 1:300,000 at A3 Victoria and Gateway Health Service shall km bear no responsibility or liability whatsoever for any errors, faults, By Toby Alker-Jones (Mar 2017) defects or omissions in the information. 1:20,000 at A3

Key Partner driven interventions include: Prevention Impact Indicators Project Wangaratta Grow Local Food • Funded by Department of Health and Human Your Idea Lab Series Benalla Small Plates Wangaratta Food Services and undertaken by CHPCP staff Wangaratta & Benalla Producer Mapping Fruit & Veg deliveries • Aim: to identify prevention impact indicators Achievement Program Wangaratta Food Hub for active living, healthier eating and improving Feasibility Study Go Local Go Fresh Project mental health Local People Local Food Solutions Key Benalla Grow Your Own • Resource developed for 12 local governments Foodcents Initiatives Benalla Food Security (Ovens Murray & Goulburn). Alpine Community Network Gardens North East Local Food Data Profiles Policy Discussion Paper Wangaratta Community Food For All network Health Champions • Developed for Alpine, Benalla, Mansfield and Wangaratta local government areas by Community Food Communities For All Campaign Latching CHPCP staff onto Breastfeeding • The intent was to give local government social planners detailed data resources to support development of their Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans.

Central Hume Primary Care Partnership Change in healthy eating Page 3 Future directions

Key Learnings • Engaging each local community is key to embedding change • Evidence-based planning at the local government area level is essential to tailor interventions to local community needs • Focus on improving health literacy by using marketing messages across the catchment • Community owned interventions are more successful • Catchment focus benefits small rural communities with capacity building & collaboration of partner agencies.

Awards for our work • Benalla Health “Benalla Grow Your Own – engaging disadvantaged families with wicking garden beds” Winner in the 2017 VicHealth Awards (Improving Health Equity). Recognised by Wendy Lovell, MP for Northern Victoria • Gateway Health received a Highly Commended award in the Community Development Category in 2017’s International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Australasia Core Values Award for “Local People have Solutions to Local Food Challenges” • Benalla Health awarded as 2017 Premier’s Medium Health Service of the Year (Victorian Public Healthcare Awards).

Acknowledgments Alpine Health Alpine Shire Council Benalla Health Benalla Rural City Council Mansfield District Hospital Mansfield Shire Council Northeast Health Wangaratta Rural City of Wangaratta Gateway Health Women’s Health Goulburn North East

For further information: contact Central Hume Primary Care Partnership (03) 5761 4217 [email protected] or visit the website http://www.centralhumepcp.org/

© CHPCP, Februrary 2018

Central Hume Primary Care Partnership Change in healthy eating Page 4