Areas we work in / Ngā Wāhi Mahi

NUTRITION

Healthy examples from the different food groups One of Community and Public Health's visions is to improve the health and wellbeing of the people in our region by providing opportunities to assist people to make healthier choices. Specific work is focussed on outcomes and actions to create change in food, nutrition and physical activity environments and behaviours, such as increasing access to food (food security).

Community and Public Health staff are working towards promoting a nutrition environment which fosters healthy eating, along with resources that support actions to reduce poor nutrition that may result in chronic disease. The Key Messages for a Healthy lifestyle include:

Eat a variety of nutritious foods
Eat less fatty, salty, sugary foods
Eat more vegetables and fruits
Exclusively breastfeed infants for six months, and introduce complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for at least one year and beyond
Be active every day for at least 30 minutes in as many ways as possible
Add some vigorous exercise for extra benefit and fitness
Aim to maintain a healthy weight throughout life
Promote and foster the development of environments that support healthy lifestyles.

Community and Public Health staff are involved in the promotion of nutrition in education settings, within the community, and also in workplaces.
These settings can have a direct impact on the health and motivation of those involved (individuals, staff, and students).

Examples of current initiatives include:

Assisting early childhood centres in the development of edible gardens
Running the Appetite for Life programme
Assisting workplaces in the development of wellness programmes to help support staff retention, reduce absenteeism, and increase productivity
Assisting community-lead nutrition initiatives such as the Cooking Skills to Life Skills programme.

Staff also produced a number of publications listed below, available for download:

Documents

	A Focus on Nutrition: Key findings of the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey (Ministry of Health)
	A National Survey of Children and Young People's Physical Activity and Dietary Behaviours in New Zealand: 2008/09 - Key Findings (Ministry of Health)
	Nutrition and the Burden of Disease 1997-2011 (Ministry of Health)
	A Portrait of Health: Key results of the 2006/7 New Zealand Health Survey (Ministry of Health)
	Food Costs for Families (Agencies for Nutrition Action)

Downloads

Order copies from the Community Health Information Centre

	Eating for Healthy Children Aged 2 -12
	Eating for Healthy Infants and Toddlers
	Eating for Healthy Teenagers
	Eating for Healthy Adult New Zealanders
	Eating for Healthy Vegetarians
	Eating for Healthy Older People
	Everyday Eating for Health
	VegUp - Maori and Pacific culture versions available for download