Building Healthy Communities

The Building Healthy Communities program operates at a strategic whole-of-community level to improve the health of the Indigenous community in Wiluna and reduce the lifestyle risk factors normally associated with chronic diseases by promoting and supporting healthy lifestyle activities such as sports, fitness and nutrition.

The Building Healthy Communities is a collaboration involving key community, government and private sector stakeholders ensuring coordination of resources to make substantive and sustainable change to the health outcomes of the Indigenous people over the long term.

In 2008 a new 5 year strategic Building Healthy Communities program will commence that features stronger partnerships with community stakeholders such as the Wiluna Remote Area School, TAFE WA, Wiluna Police and the Wiluna Shire Council. Six new program areas are being introduced: Health and nutrition; Substance misuse; Fitness; Creativity and cognition; Skills and employment; and Community capacity and leadership.

Program Background

While many Indigenous Australians live healthy, constructive and rewarding lives, many others particularly in remote communities, experience significant disadvantage arising from historical, social and economic causes.

The Indigenous population, particularly in remote areas, experience high levels of chronic disease such as diabetes, chronic heart disease, kidney disease, and depression. The most important single indicator of disadvantage, the difference in life expectancy between Indigenous people and other citizens has been reduced to around seven years in North America and New Zealand. In Australia, the gap remains almost 2.5 times greater.

Kidney disease, substance misuse, weight management, and nutrition are also key issues for many Aboriginal people living in remote areas. The rate of kidney disease in the Indigenous community, for example, is 10 times higher as the non-Indigenous rate and Indigenous people are three times as likely as non-Indigenous people to have diabetes. 

Rural and remote areas of Australia do not have the same levels of health support services as in the cities. As a result, there is a need for a different approach to the management of behavioural and health issues small rural and remote communities.

Evidence driven strategies

The Building Healthy Communities Program strategies are based on international research findings and community consultation conducted in 2006 involving 87 people in the Wiluna region.

World Health Organisation research (2002) has shown that a sedentary lifestyle can double the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes and obesity. Lack of physical exercise can also increase the risks of cancer, high blood pressure, lipid disorders, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety. 

A community-wide consultation process was undertaken in 2006 to identify the readiness of the community to engage in the BHC Program in Wiluna and to identify the community's perception on how the health of the community could be improved.

The consultation process involved face to face interviews with people living from Wiluna Town, Bondini Reserve, Emu Farm, Desert Gold, Kutkububba, Ululla Station, and Windidda Station.

The 2008-2012 BHC comprises an expanded range of strategies driven and delivered through partnerships with agencies from the government, education, community and private sectors.

By targeting the youth cohort (15-25) and introducing new strategies around skills development, creative expression, and ‘citizenship’ the focus of the new BHC Program extends beyond that of physical fitness and nutrition.

The new focus on skills, employment and creative expression acknowledges that the greatest impact on the health of the community will come through increasing employment and engagement in ‘mainstream’ community life.  With the right strategies, young peoples’ interest in sports, music and art can be channelled into employment and skills development pathways