New move to promote healthy lifestyles across Knox

The Federal and Victorian Governments, Knox City Council and Knox Community Health Service are joining forces to spearhead the biggest-ever push for healthier lifestyles in Knox.

Victorian Minister for Health David Davis this week launched the Prevention

Community Model for Knox today at one of the area's largest workplaces, Parmalat's manufacturing and distribution centre in Rowville, encouraging local business leaders to create health promoting environments in their workplaces.

Minister Davis explained "the Prevention Community Model is a new and exciting initiative that aims to build health promoting environments across Knox, in the places where people live their lives, including health promoting schools, early childhood services and workplaces.

"We are committed to working with the community in tackling preventable diseases, obesity, chronic illness and promoting healthier lifestyles."

The launch in Knox showcased dairy products supplier Parmalat's efforts to improve the health of their staff, and encouraged local business leaders to create health promoting environments in their workplaces.

Knox City Council Mayor Adam Gill said he was excited that Knox was chosen as one of 14 councils to take part in the initiative, stating "The Knox Prevention Community Model is about encouraging and supporting organisations, workplaces, schools and individuals to take stock of their existing healthy activities, recognise their strengths, and identify opportunities for improvement.

"It's about enabling the community to take action together. It's sure to lead to some great results."

Minister Davis said the Prevention Community Model targets more than $100 million of State and National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health funding on a range of statewide and local strategies to turn around unhealthy lifestyles, benefiting more than one million people in 14 municipalities.

He added "tailored healthy living strategies will be rolled out to target the underlying causes of chronic diseases, such as smoking, poor nutrition, alcohol misuse and physical inactivity and will include Jamie's Ministry of Food mobile kitchen setting up for a time in Knox to deliver cooking and nutrition programs for the community."

The other municipalities are Ararat, Cardinia, Central Goldfields, Bendigo, Dandenong, Geelong, Hume, Latrobe, Mildura, Pyrenees, Whittlesea, Wodonga and Wyndham.

For information on the Prevention Community Model visit www.health.vic.gov.au/prevention

Image courtesy of YMCA Victoria.

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