Feature story:
Building Healthy Communities program

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.

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.