Health Promotion

Health promotion is the prevention of ill health. It is achieved by enabling people to increase their control over the influences on their health.

Albury Wodonga Health - Wodonga Campus (AWHWC) conducts health promotion both within the Health Service and within the Wodonga community. The current health promotion priority areas for the AWHWC are;

Organisational Capacity Building

• Health Promoting Health Service
• Health Promoting Health Service Advisory Committee
• Capacity Building
• Smokefree Workplace
• Staff Health and Wellbeing
• Healthy Food Service
• Patient Health Promotion

Food Security and Nutrition

• Breastfeeding
• Food Security
• Aboriginal Nutrition

The2007-2008 AWHWC Integrated Health Promotion Operational Plan provides details of these priorities and current activities.

The current activities of the Health Promotion Department include;

Organisational Capacity Building

Health Promoting Health Service

Albury Wodonga Health - Wodonga Campus is working to become a Health Promoting Health Service (HPHS) whereby it actively values the prevention of illness, in addition to its value of treatment, cure and rehabilitation. By becoming a HPHS, AWHWC will:

• Actively promote the health of its employees by providing a work environment that is supportive of positive physical, social and emotional health;
• Actively promote the health of its patients by utilizing opportunities to encourage good health and by identifying and responding to risk factors;
• Actively promote the health of its community by providing a comfortable, accessible and culturally appropriate service;
• Actively promote the health of its environment by supporting and implementing appropriate environmental initiatives.

Health Promoting Health Service Advisory Committee

In June 2007 AWHWC established a Health Promoting Health Service Advisory Committee. This Committee was established to provide leadership in reorienting the AWHWC to be a HPHS. The Advisory Committee is comprised of 15 representatives from departments central to the reorientation of the Health Service. Departments represented on the Advisory Committee include Executive, Community Health, Dietetics, Mental Health, Staff Development and Education, Human Resources, Aboriginal Liaison, Pharmacy, Food Services, Domestic Services, Emergency Department, Obstetrics Department, Day Procedure Unit and Finance.

Capacity Building

For AWHWC to be a Health Promoting Health Service, all employees need to incorporate health promotion into their role where appropriate. To achieve this staff education is currently being undertaking via workshops and in-services. An Overview of Health Promotion is provided to all new employees as part of the orientation program, and also made available to existing employees on the staff intranet.

Smokefree Workplace

Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in Australia resulting in the deaths of more than 19,000 people each year.1 The City of Wodonga has a greater percentage of smoking related deaths than the Victorian average. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is directly linked to ill health among non-smokers. Non-smokers who are exposed to ETS have higher rates of illness and death from cardiovascular disease and lung cancer2. In children, ETS is also associated with pneumonia and bronchitis, coughing and wheezing, worsening of asthma, and middle ear disease. In non-smoking pregnant women, ETS exposure can cause a decrease in birth weight and infant exposure may contribute to the risk of SIDS.3

AWHWC implemented a Smokefree Workplace Policy on October 1^st, 2007. As per this Policy smoking by all staff, patients and visitors is restricted to within designated smoking areas only. Staff of AWHWC are not responsible for aiding a patient to smoke and staff doing home visits are permitted to request that the home is smokefree whilst treatment is being provided. To assist patients to comply with the Policy, all admitted patients are able to obtain free nicotine replacement therapy during their admission. All employees are able to obtain free nicotine patches and attend a free smoking cessation course.

The workplace can directly influence the physical, mental, economic and social well-being of employees and in turn the health of their families and community. A healthy workplace can significantly improve employee health outcomes.  A healthy work environment provides three basic elements;  A focus on lifestyle practices such as being physically active, not smoking, eating a healthy diet and having a healthy weight; A safe and well-designed physical environment with an emphasis on occupational health and safety; and A positive organizational culture that supports employee well-being and effective work practices. Maintaining employee health is good for business. Providing a healthy workplace environment can reduce absenteeism, employee turnover and medical claim costs, as well as increase overall productivity, workplace moral and, most importantly, staff health and wellbeing.4

Staff Health and Wellbeing

In July 2007 AWHWC conducted its first Staff Health & Wellbeing Survey. This Survey, completed by 43% of employees, asked staff to respond to questions regarding their current health and wellbeing relating to both the workplace and home. The Survey identified a number of opportunities for the Health Promoting Health Service Advisory Committee to establish health promotion programs that address the health and wellbeing of their staff. The current workplace health promotion priorities are;

• Physical activity
• Water consumption
• Food security
• Health screening

Healthy Food Service

The AWHWC Dietetics Department is working in partnership with the Food Services Department in reviewing the Canteen, catering and patient food service menus. Menus are currently being modified to be consistent with the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Upon completion of the menu review there will be an increase in the proportion of food items available to staff, patients and visitors that are high in fibre and nutritional value yet low in sugar, salt and saturated fat. Once modified, these menu items will be identifiable in the Canteen and on the patient meal menu.

Patient Health Promotion

Hospitals and health services have significant potential to encourage positive health behaviors. When a person comes to hospital they are at a time of heightened awareness about their health and illness, and have increased motivation to make major lifestyle change.⁵ The health promotion department is pursuing opportunities to address these underlying lifestyle behaviors associated with patient admissions.

In 2007 the AWHWC commenced the Alcohol Screen project whereby patients who present at AWHWC are screened for their level of alcohol consumption during their admission. Patients with moderate to high alcohol intake are provided with the Alcohol and Your Health resource. Patients who have high alcohol intake are referred to an Alcohol and Drug Worker.

Patients who identify as current smokers during their admission are offered a free Quit Because You Can resource to encourage smoking cessation. Patients are also able to obtain free nicotine replacement therapy to support them in their cessation.

Food Security and Nutrition

Breastfeeding

The 2003 Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults cite ‘Encourage and support breastfeeding'.6 Breastfeeding is directly associated with improved health outcomes for both the infant and mother. Breastfeeding can aid mother-child bonding and prevent chronic diseases such as cancers and cardiovascular disease. Breastfeeding can also reduce the child's risk of impaired speech and cognitive development, allergies, asthma, SIDS, diabetes and obesity.7 While the Hume region maintains breastfeeding rates similar to the state average Wodonga's breastfeeding rates have been consistently below the state averages.

The Health Promotion Department provides support to the AWHWC Obstetrics Department in promoting and facilitating breastfeeding.  In 2007 the Health Promotion Department coordinated a breastfeeding in-service for local Obstetricians in order to enhance their support and encouragement of breastfeeding. The Health Promotion Department has also funded the reprinting of the Albury-Wodonga Breastfeeding Welcome Here Directory, in partnership with Upper Hume Community Health Service and Greater Southern Area Health Service.

The Health Promotion Department has also provided support to the Obstetrics Department in the development of a Healthy Lifestyle resource for pregnant women distributed during the antenatal period.

Food Security

Food security is the regular access to safe, nutritionally adequate, culturally acceptable food from non-emergency sources. Wodonga has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in Victoria (10%). Food insecurity can be influenced by a number of factors including; Ability to afford healthy food Have a very limited variety of foods in diet Limited ability to walk or drive and carry food Poor public transport to food outlets Inadequate facilities at home to store or prepare food Limited knowledge of how to prepare food

The AWHWC is working with other agencies of the Upper Hume Primary Care Partnership Integrated Health Promotion Steering Committee to address food insecurity. The Health Promotion Department and the Dietetics Departments are currently working to raise awareness of food security among primary health care providers, and also improving referral pathways for food insecurity. The AWHWC is also an active member of the Albury Wodonga Regional Food Security Network.  

Aboriginal Nutrition

The Health Promotion Department maintains and values a close partnership with Aboriginal health workers both within AWHWC and at Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation. This partnership is currently working with additional stakeholders to address two Aboriginal health promotion priority areas of antenatal nutrition and healthy lunchboxes.

Contact:

Jessica Roberts	Helen Still	Elaine Batiste
Health Promotion Officer	Community Dietitian	Alcohol Project Officer
Jessica.Roberts@wrhs.org.au	Helen.Still@wrhs.org.au	Elaine.Batiste@wrhs.org.au
Phone: (02) 6051 7395	Phone: (02) 6051 7406	Phone: (02) 6051 7496
M-F:  8.30am-5.00pm	M-Th: 8.30am-5.00pm	M, W: 8.30am-5.00pm

Albury Wodonga Health - Wodonga Campus

Community Rehabilitation Centre 

Vermont Street, Wodonga VIC 3689

References:

1. Ridolfo B, Stevenson C. 2001, The quantification of drug caused mortality and morbidity in Australia, 1998. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Category Number PHE 29. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (Drug Statistics Series no 7).

2. National Cancer Institute 1999, Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental tobacco Smoke: A Report of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph No 10. Bethesda, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, NIH Pub No 99-4645.

3. World Health Organization 1999, Tobacco Free Initiative. International Consultation on Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and Child Health: Consultation Report. WHO Technical Document Number WHO/TFI/99.10.

4. World Health Organisation 2007, Occupational Health: Workplace Health Promotion, Available at: http://www.who.int/occupational_health/topics/workplace/en/index.html.

5. Naidoo, J, Wills, J. 2003 Health Promotion: Foundations for Practice 2^nd Edn. Elseview Limited 2000. 

6. National Health and Medical Research Council 2003, Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults, Commonwealth of Australia, pp. 1-283.

7. American Academy of Pediatrics 1997, Breastfeeding Policy of American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, vol.100, no. 5, Dec, pp. 1035-39.

Intergrated_Health_Promotion_Plan_2006-2009.pdf (111 KB)

Staff_Health__Wellbeing_Survey_2007.pdf (56 KB)

Breastfeeding_Welcome_Here_Booklet_2007.pdf (1551 KB)

Healthy_Lifestyle_Resource.pdf (463 KB)

URL: http://www.awh.org.au/services/aged/HealthPromotion.htm
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