Overview

The first International Conference on Health Promotion was held in Ottawa, Canada on 17-21 November, 1986. The conference was primarily a response to growing expectations for a new public health movement around the world. Discussions focused on needs within industrialised countries, but took into account similar concerns in all other regions. The aim of the conference was to continue to identify action to achieve the objectives of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health for All by the Year 2000 initiative, launched in 1981.
The Ottawa Conference was preceded by the Alma Ata Primary Health Care Conference in 1978, and followed by further international health promotion conferences in Adelaide (1988), Sundsvall (1991), Jakarta (1997) ,Mexico (2000) and Bangkok (2005) Each conference continues to strengthen health promotion principles and practice, such as healthy public policy, supportive environments, building healthy alliances and bridging the equity gap.
ref (1.)

The Ottawa Charter (1986) defines health promotion as the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, an individual or group must be able to identify and to realise aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment. Health is, therefore, seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities. Therefore, health promotion is not just the responsibility of the health sector, but goes beyond healthy lifestyles to wellbeing.
ref (2.)

Health Promotion in the Association

The term Integrated Health Promotion (IHP) is used to describe many agencies and organizations from a range of sectors and communities within a catchment working together.Sharing resources, planning and evaluating collaboratively leads to maximum outcomes for interventions.The Association works very closely with many agencies and organizations within the catchment and is represented on many working groups.
Some of the Health Promotion initiatives that the Association is involved in include:

Lifescripts

The Lifescripts Initiative aims to place a greater focus on prevention in the health system by building preventative activities into the primary health care system, and to make it easier for general practitioners and their practices to encourage patients to make healthier lifestyle choices by providing the tools and resources required to do so.
The Dandenong Casey General Practice Association will be involved in the Lifestyle Prescriptions (or Lifescripts) which has been built on work undertaken on the SNAP lifestyle risk factors. Lifescripts covers those risk factors (Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical activity) and adds weight management as an additional risk factor. Lifescripts provides a framework for GPs, Practice Nurses and staff in the general practice setting to bring lifestyle risk factors to the fore in their engagement with patients.
The Association will assist practices to take up the Lifescripts program through organised practice visits andto provide its general practices with tools and resources to assist patients to make healthier lifestyle choices.
Click herefor templatesand further information.

Mall Walks

Mall Walks operate with shopping centers across the catchment on most mornings.They are lead by a qualified walking instructor who facilitate warm up and cool down exercises, are free to participate in, can be taken at your own pace and cant be affected by the weather, uneven footpaths or barking dogs.Not only do the Indoor Mall Walks provide a great opportunity to increase physical activity, it is also a great way to meet new people.
For mall walk venues click here

10 000 Steps

The 10 000 steps program allows members of participating libraries to borrow a pedometer just like they would borrow a book with normal borrowing conditions applying.A pedometer is a small tool that clips onto your waste band and measures the steps you take in a day.To maintain health it is advised that we aim to reach10 000 steps each day.The Pedometer kits comes with walking maps of the local areas to help achieving the 10 000 steps a little easier.Libraries participating in the 10 000 steps program include: Cranbourne, Narren Warren, Doveton, Endeavour Hills, Hampton Park, Pakenham and Cardinia Mobile Library.

Footnotes

ref (1.) Better Health Channel www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
ref (2.) World Health Organisation (1986). The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, Geneva

For a comprehensive list of resources and community events click here