You may have already seen the TV, print, and radio or online advertisements for the Measure Up campaign. Measure Up is a joint Australian, state and territory government initiative that aims to encourage Australians to make and sustain healthy changes to their lifestyle, such as increasing physical activity and adopting healthy eating habits, to reduce their risk of some lifestyle related chronic disease.
The Federal and ACT Governmenta are encouraging participation in the Measure Up campaign to help raise awareness and important health issues in the North Canberra area.
According to the Population Health Profiles, in 2004-05 an estimated 16,522 people in the North Canberra area were overweight or obese, and 1,208 people had diagnosed type 2 diabetes. (Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU), 2009. Population Health Profile by local government area. University of Adelaide). This is likely to have increased, with the national total of adults who are overweight or obese increasing by 800,000 from 2001-2005. (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2008. Overweight and Obesity in Adults. ABS: Canberra)
Healthy eating and regular physical activity aids in maintaining good health, preventing obesity, and can also help protect people against the risk of chronic disease, such as some cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
More information is available on the Measure Up website australia.gov.au/MeasureUp.