Overview

The Inner East councils have identified healthy eating and access to safe and nutritious food as a priority in their Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans. Increasing Healthy Eating is a focus area for the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2019 – 2023.

The Inner East PCP works in collaboration with our partners to support the implementation of best-practice approaches to improve the food system of the Inner East and prevent obesity and chronic diseases. In partnership with Outer East PCP, we coordinate the Healthy Choices Community of Practice to bring together practitioners who work to promote healthy eating in their regions.

We follow a social determinants approach and identify early life as a critical stage for prevention to promote healthy eating and shape healthy food preferences and dietary habits. We are working in consultation with Eastern Metropolitan Region Maternal and Child Health services to develop a resource for parents that draws attention to the harmful effects of children’s diets high in sugar, using a story framework and ‘values based messaging’ to guide the content of this resource. This approach aims to engage people around values that resonate, as opposed to trying to persuade people with just facts or data, helping parents recognise sugar in foods and building their  knowledge and confidence to choose lower sugar options.

Access to fresh and nutritious food is a key focus to change the environment and ensure greater access to the population across all settings where food is provided (workplaces, schools, sporting clubs etc). There are also specific priority populations that experience food insecurity and don’t have the necessary means to purchase fresh and nutritious food. Taking a food systems approach to these wicked problems helps us to identify opportunities and leverage points to promote change.

Why is healthy eating and food systems a priority?

The rising prevalence of overweight and obesity remains an AIHW National Health Priority Area in Australia. Over the last three decades, prevalence has steadily increased. Sixty two percent of Australian adults and 24% of children and adolescents are classified as overweight or obese. One in three children are now overweight or obese and AIHW statistics highlight that rates in Victoria jumped from 23.4% in 2011 to 30.8% in 2014, higher than any other state or territory in Australia. As a result, all State and local governments have incorporated action to prevent or minimise overweight and obesity in their Health and Wellbeing Plans.

The 1986 Ottawa Charter states that communities should be provided with supportive environments and opportunities to make healthy choices to allow them to achieve their fullest health potential. However, modern lifestyles favour high energy intakes and sedentary behaviours. Behaviours are influenced by obesogenic environments where the surroundings and opportunities to access fresh and nutritious food have the effect of promoting obesity in populations.

In order to achieve a healthy diet, individuals need to have the physical, social and economic access to safe, sufficient and nutritious foods that meets their dietary needs and food preferences. Food security means having a sustainable food system that ensures access for all to nutritionally adequate, affordable, culturally acceptable and safe food. Food security considers sustainability; accessibility; affordability; cultural appropriateness; nutritional adequacy, and food safety.

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