Did you know 1 in 4 Australian kids are overweight or obese?

What our kids eat today doesn’t just impact on the way they behave and how healthy they are. It influences their lifelong eating habits. Overweight and obese kids are more likely to become overweight adults and those adults have an increased risk of developing cancers, heart disease and other serious health issues such as type 2 diabetes.

What’s worse, there is currently no limit on how many junk food ads TV stations are allowed to feed our kids. Children are exposed to a huge number of ads for junk food every day, from greasy fast food to sugary snack bars.

The Cancer Council NSW has launched a new campaign to increase awareness regarding advertising of junk food on the television, Fat Free TV.

Fat Free TV is here to help parents understand just how much junk food advertising TV stations feed our kids.

Check out http://www.fatfreetv.com.au/  to learn more.

What is The COACH Program®?

What is The COACH Program^®?

The COACH Program® is a service where a health professional supports a client over the phone (roughly once a month over a six month period) to understand and improve their health. The sessions run at their own pace and give them the chance to ask questions about their health and lifestyle.

How can The COACH Program^® help you?

If you have type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes or are at high risk of diabetes the program aims to support you to achieve “the targets” that will help you prevent or manage your diabetes and the complications that are associated with it. Reaching these health targets will reduce your risk of damage to your eyes, kidneys, heart, nerves and blood vessels.

One example might be your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is higher than it should be (the “target”) you are at much greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Your coach with The COACH Program® will help you to work with your usual doctor to understand treatment options and lifestyle approaches available to reduce your blood pressure. Other risk factors discussed include your blood glucose (sugar) levels, cholesterol levels, waist measurements, eating habits and exercise levels.

All advice provided in The COACH Program® is based on the best available clinical evidence, so you can make informed decisions about your health.

Benefits of joining The COACH Program^®:

• The service is FREE
• The sessions are run at a time that suits you
• Every session is personalised to your specific needs
• As all coach sessions are held over the phone you do not need to travel to see a health professional. The sessions can take place anywhere that suits you as long as you have access to a telephone
• The COACH Program® health professionals help you to work together with your usual doctor and other health professionals to assist you to meet your health targets
• The service gives you access to health professionals who specialise in diabetes that you might not have access to, especially if you live in a rural or remote location

Who can join The COACH Program^®?

Anyone in Tasmania over the age of 18 who has type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes or is at risk of developing diabetes can sign up to the program.

If you think that you might be at high risk of developing diabetes, contact Diabetes Tasmania on 1300 745 153 (local call cost) to see if you are suitable to join the program.

How do I join The COACH Program^®?

The first step to joining the COACH program is to call 1300 745 153 and register your interest.

For further information about The COACH Program^®:

Phone: 1300 745 153

Email: mail@diabetestas.com.au

Or online at www.diabetesassist.com.au

Yesterday Diabetes Tasmania released the latest Health Economics data from The COACH Program. This innovative and clinically proven program is certainly making a huge impact, both in the health outcomes for participating Tasmanians as well as for the broader community. I wanted to share excerpts from my speech at the launch with you.

Caroline Wells, CEO Diabetes Tasmania

 ”Thank you to Minister Michelle O’Byrne, Minster for Health, for attending and Dr Margarite Vale, Managing Director and founder of The COACH Program and everyone here today who has in some way helped with the success of this innovative health coaching program. Unfortunately Professor Andrew Palmer from the Menzies Research Institute was unable to attend. Our sincere thanks to Professor Palmer for his work in modelling the data.

“The purpose of today’s launch is to announce the latest health economics results from The COACH Program.

The COACH Program is an evidence based telephone health coaching program which helps participants achieve ten key biomedical and lifestyle targets. The program is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services through the Diabetes Assist Agreement and has been running since 2009.

Evaluation of the program has consistently shown improvements in the health outcomes of participants in biomedical and self-reported criteria. These include reductions in HbA1c, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure and increases in physical activity. The program also demonstrates an even demographic spread across the state.

The recent health economics work undertaken by Professor Palmer has produced really exciting results which both complement the clinical outcomes but also reinforces the importance of The COACH Program for not just the participants but to government and the broader community.

The modelling analysis was conducted using the CORE Diabetes Model and was based on before and after comparison of risk factor targets levels. Conclusions drawn from this analysis highlights that participation in The COACH Program was shown to:

• Reduce risk factor target levels(i.e. HbA1c, cholesterol)
• Reduce the risk of complications associated with diabetes
• Increase life expectancy
• Increase quality of life (versus usual care)

By reducing the risk of complications and reducing risk factors the benefits for the individuals as well as the economic benefit are significant.

Evaluation of total direct medical costs (The COACH Program costs plus complication costs) indicated that The COACH Program leads to overall cost savings of $2,902 per patient versus usual care alone over a patient’s lifetime.  What does this mean? It means that to date a saving of over $1.5M has been achieved in ongoing care, including hospitalisation.

Clearly, the program is a great success, both for clients and their families, and the health system. Chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease place a huge burden on both the individual and society and the human and economic costs are enormous. It would be wonderful if we were able to expand the program. We have an opportunity to make a real difference, so let’s just do it.

I would now like to invite the Minister, who I know has a strong interest in preventative health to speak.”

 

Senior Diabetes Educator takes on the Blue Dragon before the Pollie Pedal!

Another epic journey is about to unfold in the scenically beautiful Blue Tier with the rich history of The Trail of the Tin Dragon. The two day mountain bike ride through this amazing area will be a great challenge on some of the best adventure trails in Tasmania. What a great lead in to the Pollie Pedal!

Get behind me in the Pollie Pedal and raise some money for diabetes! Please support me as I ride 250km over three days on the beautiful East Coast of Tasmania for the battle against chronic disease. You can make a tax-deductible donation via this link http://www.everydayhero.com.au/traci_lonergan

Navigating Food Labels

Reading and understanding food labels can be difficult and confusing.  Food labels can contain a wide range of information, some which is helpful and some that isn’t.  Being able to read a food label and decipher for yourself the quality of the product is an important skill that goes a long way to supporting healthy eating and smart food choices.

This week, the D-Tick program was launched in NSW.  The D-Tick symbol aims to highlight foods that are designed for people managing their blood glucose levels.  The logo will appear on a range of approved food products that meet specific nutritional criteria. The D-tick symbol and program is not endorsed or supported by Diabetes Australia. Consumers are already confused by food labels and many different endorsements and claims. The further growth of commercial endorsements and health claims will confuse consumers even more.

Diabetes Tasmania promotes the ideas that there is no special ‘diabetes’ diet and that people with diabetes do not need ‘special’ food products.  We all should be aiming to have a healthy, well balanced diet whether or not we have diabetes.  Also often products with additional logos and endorsements can cost more than other products of a similar or better quality.  Diabetes Tasmania also believes that people with diabetes pay enough to manage their health, so paying more for special foods is un-necessary.

Diabetes Tasmania offers free healthy shopping tours to help you navigate the supermarket and make healthy choices.  Please call us on 1300 136 588 to find out more.

Circus fun for kids with Type 1 diabetes

With the arrival of school holidays comes the anticipation of catching up with old friends and making new ones at the summer youth program activities provided by Diabetes Tasmania.

The Slipstream Circus and Diabetes Tasmania held a circus workshop in the North and South which was enjoyed by both the kids participating and the parents watching.

New skills were learned and old skills were practiced. It is not every day you get to climb on your friends and build a human tower!

The diablo was a tough one but most kids mastered the challenge. A few kids were able to jump through their hoops and their attempts were fun to watch. Everyone got to walk the tight-rope and swing from the big ribbon.  The end of the workshop came all too soon and after a lot of running, jumping, spinning, swinging and climbing, it was time to go home.

These circus workshops were made possible through the collaboration of Diabetes Tasmania, NDSS and Arts Tasmania.

Who are Accredited Practising Dietitians and how can they help?

Dietitians are regarded as experts in the area of food and nutrition. They know about food and health and can help you sort through the maze of nutrition information fired at us from day to day.

They translate scientific nutrition information into practical advice, to help you make the right decision about what to eat they can also help with tips on cooking and recipe ideas.

Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) is the national credential recognised by the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA). You should check that your dietitian has this credential before making an appointment.

Diabetes Tasmania’s Dietitians are all APDs. Should you like some help from one of our APDs for ome individual dietary advice call us on 1300 136 588

For more information on Accredited Practising Dietitians have a look here http://daa.asn.au/for-the-public/find-an-apd/what-is-an-accredited-practising-dietitian/