About the Campaign
Outlines the background of the campaign as well as facts about being overweight or obese.
Background
The Go for 2&5™ Campaign
The national Go for 2&5™ Campaign was launched in 28 April 2005 and ran through to July 2005.The Go for 2&5™ campaign aimed to help Australian parents encourage their children to increase daily consumption of fruit and vegetables.
The campaign was based on one originally developed by the Western Australian Department of Health, titled Go for 2&5™ (http://www.gofor2and5.com.au). This campaign has delivered good results within Western Australia and is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Target audience:
Primary - Parents and carers of children and youth (0-17 years)Secondary - Children aged 5-12 and youth aged 13-17
Key objectives
- Raise awareness of the necessary combination of healthy eating and physical activity to promote good health in children
- Raise awareness of the need to eat 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables each day as part of a healthy diet
- Increase the proportion of Australian adults and children who eat the recommended serves of fruit and vegetables each day
Campaign activities
The campaign was comprised of national mass media advertising including television advertising (free to air and pay TV), magazine placements, radio for non-English speaking audiences, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander press, online and advertising in shopping centres (poster boxes and shopping trolleys).The campaign also included national public relations activities to support the media advertising. Support materials included a consumer booklet, poster and recipe cards.
Campaign Material page is available on the website.
Support of the States and Territories
States and territories will be supporting the national campaign through the placement of advertising, public relations activities and dissemination of information resources.Facts about Overweight and Obesity
Background Information
Overweight and obesity are serious, chronic medical conditions that are associated with a range of debilitating and life-threatening conditions. They are also among the most complex and difficult problems to treat.Diseases and conditions associated with overweight and obesity impose huge financial burdens on health-care systems and the community. Studies have estimated that the health care costs of excess body weight in Australia today are about $1.2 billion.
Fact: Being overweight or obese affects your health
People who are overweight or obese are at increased risk of health problems, ranging from the psychological to the physical. Immediate problems include:- low self-esteem
- social isolation
- depression
- heat intolerance
- breathlessness on exertion
- tiredness.
- type 2 diabetes
- gall bladder disease
- sleep disorders
- high blood pressure
- coronary heart disease
- stroke
- some cancers
- osteoarthritis
- back problems
- reproductive abnormalities.
Fact: The number of children who are overweight or obese is increasing
The results of the 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey indicated that 23% of the children surveyed, aged 2-16 years, were either overweight or obese.Because many of these people are at risk of becoming overweight or obese as adults, preventing and managing obesity in children is a priority.
According to the latest data from the 2004-05 National Health Survey, 54% of Australians adults are classified as overweight or obese.
Fact: Poor diet is a key risk factor for overweight and obesity
While many factors can influence an individual's weight, overweight and obesity are mainly caused by an imbalance when energy intake from foods exceeds energy expended in physical activity.Australia's fresh food and vegetables may be among the best in the world, yet most people don't eat enough of them.
There is growing evidence that eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables not only contributes to good health, but also protects against a number of diseases.
Increasing the average person's fruit and vegetable intake may be the single most important dietary change needed to reduce the risk of major diseases and is a vital part of weight management.
The 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (the Children’s Survey) collected comprehensive food intake data from 4,487 children aged 2-16 years from each State and Territory in Australia.
The Children’s Survey found that:
- The proportion of children surveyed meeting the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommendations for vegetable intake was:
- 22% of 4-8 year olds
- 14% of 9-13 year olds
- 5% of 14-16 year olds
- The proportion of children surveyed meeting the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommendations for fruit intake (excluding fruit juice) was:
- 61% of 4-8 year olds
- 51% of 9-13 year olds
- 1% of 14-16 year olds
For adults, the 2004-05 National Health Survey found that:
- 12% of males and 16% of females ate the recommended daily serves of vegetables;
- 48% of males and 60% of females consumed the recommended two or more serves of fruit per day.
References
ABS (2003). Health Risk Factors, Australia . Cat No. 4812.0. Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra.AIHW: A rising epidemic: obesity in Australian Children and Adolescents, Risk Factors Data Briefing Number 2, October 2004. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW: Bennett SA, Magnus P & Gibson D 2004 . Obesity trends in older Australians. Bulletin no. 12. AIHW cat. no. AUS 42. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW: Dixon T & Waters A-M 2003. A growing problem: trends and patterns in overweight and obesity among adults in Australia , 1980 to 2001. Bulletin No. 8. AIHW Cat. No. AUS 36. Canberra: AIHW.
Al-Yaman F, Bryant M & Sargeant H 2002. Australia's children: their health and wellbeing 2002.AIHW Cat. No. PHE 36. Canberra: AIHW.
Dunstan D, Zimmet P, Welborn T et al (2001) Diabesity and Associated Disorders in Australia 2000. Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study. International Diabetes Institute.
McLennan W and Podger A (1999). National Nutrition Survey. Foods Eaten Australia 1995. In Baghurst P, Beaumont-Smith N, Baghurst K & Cox D (1999). The relationship between the consumption of fruits and vegetables and health status . Report to the Department of Health and Aged Care and SIGNAL.
Must A and Straus RS (1999). Risks and consequences of childhood and adolescent obesity . International Journal of Obesity , 23 (Suppl 2):S2-S11.
NHMRC (2003) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents. Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra.
NHMRC (2003). Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults . Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra.
NSW Health Department (2002a). NSW Obesity Summit Background Paper . NSW Health Department: Sydney.