‘Walking the talk’: The university as a healthy setting Emerging Health Policy Research Conference 2 October 2014 HEALTHY SYDNEY UNIVERSITY Elly Howse.

‘Walking the talk’: The university as a healthy setting

Emerging Health Policy Research Conference

2 October 2014

HEALTHY SYDNEY UNIVERSITY

Elly Howse | Senior Project Officer

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We know the key risk factors for poor health…

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…so what are we doing about them?

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Healthy Sydney University

1. Healthy people

- Skills & capacity building

- Enabling & empowering

2. Healthy places

- Creating supportive environments (physical; organisational; cultural)

- Promoting existing health services

3. Healthy policies

- Advocating for evidence-informed changes to policy

- Embedding health into our core business: our teaching, learning & research

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Our areas of interest

› Healthy eating & food choices

› Increasing physical activity & active travel

› Improving mental wellbeing of staff and students

› Embedding health within our University policies so our initiatives are sustainable and far-reaching

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The Ottawa Charter (1986)

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Our Approach

› Informed by the idea of a ‘healthy university’ (Tsouros et al, 1998)

› Settings-based health promotion (Dooris et al, 2006)

› Primary prevention – interventions for an ‘already well’ population

› Population-level – not interested in individual behavioural change interventions

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Our 5 guiding principles

1. Evidence-informed and evidence-generating

2. Collaboration

3. Holistic view of health and wellbeing

4. University-wide engagement at all levels

5. Population, settings-based approach

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Healthy People

› Collaboration between Nutrition & Dietetics and the University of Sydney Union

› kJ labelling on Manning Grill menu

› Results: students who were aware of the kJ labelling bought approximately 800-900 kJ less than those who did not use it

Manning Grill Energy Labelling Project (2014)

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Healthy Places

› HSU and Charles Perkins Centre collaboration

› Measure change in stair use

› 8-10 locations across Camperdown campus

› Signs designed by Sydney College of the Arts students

Stair intervention project (2014)

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Healthy Policies & Implications for Policy

› Previous successes in the policy arena:

- Smoke Free Environment Policy (2012)

› Some upcoming opportunities:

- New Strategic Plan for the university being developed in 2015

- Food and Beverage Policy; Catering Guidelines

- Design Standards Policy (Campus Infrastructure)

- Assessment Policy; 24 Hour Study Spaces

- Graduate Attributes

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Projects for 2015

› Fruit & Vegetable Consumption Intervention

› Catering Guidelines

› Cycling Challenge

› Ways to decrease sedentary behaviour of students in lectures

› Online survey of staff food preferences and choices

› Nutrition Choices & Oral Health (Faculty of Dentistry)

› hAPPiness Central online wellbeing resource for new students

Past projects include:

Global Corporate Challenge Evaluation; Travel and physical activity behaviour survey; Mindfulness-based stress-reduction trial for staff.

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Your feedback

› Contact:

Elly Howse, Senior Project OfficerLevel 6, Charles Perkins CentreP: (02) 9036 7891E: [email protected]

› We are interested in developing collaboration across the university and with community organisations, NGOs & government to support healthier people, places and policies