PDHPE Research Task CVD | Travolta Tran

Introduction
The five action areas of the Ottawa Charter play a vital role in influencing a range of health
promotion initiatives like Shape Up Australia. Shape Up Australia aims to decrease the
prevalence of lifestyle related chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease (CVD) through the
prevention of obesity and help improve the health and wellbeing of Australia in a holistic
approach. By addressing the Ottawa charter, Shape Up Australia is able to strengthen and
better coordinate national obesity prevention efforts by partnering with organisations that
support healthy lifestyle choices and in essence, decrease the prevalence of CVD within
Australia.

Developing personal skills

Shape Up Australia promotes the importance of developing personal skills in allowing
individuals to make informed health decision, reducing the risk of unhealthy behaviours
and therefore health illnesses like CVD.
Developing personal skills is also fundamental in delving into the other action areas. It
empowers individuals through the teaching of knowledge and skills, which they can pass
on to others in their environment, which can ultimately create a supportive environment.
According to the 2014 AIHW report, approximately 1 in 5 or 4.2 million Australian adults
suffer from CVD.
Because of this, a website was developed to educate individuals about the dangers
associated with excess weight gain, self-measurement guides to determine whether they
are overweight and at risk of CVD as well as specific guidelines and information sheets on
a number of specific topics like healthy weight tips for 35+ Year Olds and healthy eating
habits to developing personal skills in helping individuals maintain healthy and therefore
minimise the development of CVD.
Also, the eat health cookbook, containing over 30 healthy recipes that display the
nutritional benefits of each meal, enforces the idea of developing personal skills as it
promotes individuals to teach and help themselves to be more nutritionally healthy.

Creating supportive environments

The basis of positive health, derives from creating a supportive environment in places we
live and work as advocated by Shape Up Australia, highlighting how it may help decrease
the prevalence of CVD within society.
A Swap it app has been developed for easier access to information along with
advertisements on social media, posters, and television ads to motivate individuals the
benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and how it can minimise the risk of developing CVD.
On their website, people can also access a range of meal planners, shopping lists, and
activity planners to help tailor a healthier lifestyle for the individual, enforcing the notion of
how a supportive environment is more effective in encouraging and motivating individuals
to live a healthier lifestyle.
Also, by finding government and nongovernment groups to work collaboratively with
Shape Up Australia to address the health priority of CVD, individuals are ensured with a
sense credibility as information, products and service are all backed up with evidence
based research, making it easier to guide them in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Strengthening community actions

The notion of inspiring individuals to recognise their own health priorities and take action,
is widely promoted by Shape Up Australia.

Health promotion is more effective when communities support and are involved. Thus,
there are numerous community groups and agencies working together to strengthen
community actions in decreasing the prevalence of CVD. This collaboration helps with
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 PDHPE Research Task CVD | Travolta Tran

cross-promotion opportunities, such as promotion of their activities through the branding

partner page of the website

An example includes online forums available on their website which allows individuals who
may have experienced or is experiencing the same difficulties with unhealthy behaviours,
a chance to share and discuss their ideas, allowing individuals to gain insightful tips in
gaining a healthier lifestyle to decrease the likelihood of developing CVD.

Strengthening community actions is effective, as it seeks to unite and produce amore

coordinated approach to obesity prevention and the improvement of lifestyle behaviours
for Australians, a life without CVD

Reorienting health services

The Shape Up initiative focuses on preventing and reversing the impacts of obesity. For
example, government spends money for research that focuses on preventing rather than
curing obesity related diseases like CVD.
This campaign helps reorient health services as individuals learn to reduce the risk of
obesity before it is too late and therefore reduce the prevalence of CVD in Australia.
The Shape Up Australia website educates individuals on the risk and preventative factors
that can decrease the likelihood of becoming overweight and obese, playing a major role in
ultimately decreasing the chances of developing CVD within an individual. This can be
seen through a variety of advertisement forms such as posters, commercials and
brochures.

Building healthy public policy

Building healthy public policys through the implementation of legislation, policies and
fiscal measures, governments can work towards creating equity among individuals and
across different populations.
The Federal Government identified that there was a need for new legislation and policy to
improve the health of people in Australia. For example, the National Partnership
Agreement Act 2010 led to the development of the Australian National Preventative Health
Agency in 2011.
Over 63% of Australian adults and 1 in 4 children are overweight and obese, a result of
unhealthy eating and inadequate physical activity.
Shape Up Australia works with all levels of government to support a healthy lifestyle in
response to the rising levels of CVD in obesity.

Conclusion
Ultimately, the five action areas play a crucial role in providing the sustainability of a health
promotion initiative like Shape Up Australia. It also enables the Shape Up Australia to be more
effective and become far reaching and transformative for all individuals in Australia and
therefore, have more chances of decreasing the prevalence and incidence of CVD.

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