Let's Beat Diabetes Media Releases for 2008 Over half the Counties Manukau population are “at risk” of developing preventable disease
15.02.08
The Let’s Beat Diabetes Benchmark study just released shows 53% of the region’s population are at risk of diabetes. With a regional population around 435,000, the study suggests more than 200,000 Counties Manukau residents fall into that high risk category.
Type 2 Diabetes is a chronic disease strongly associated with levels of obesity. If left undetected or untreated the disease has ongoing and sometime severe implications such as nerve damage, blindness, diabetic comas and increased rates of cardio-vascular disease more...
Action and entertainment at the ASB Polyfest 31st March, 2008 The ASB Polyfest which ran from 13th March to the 15th March was the largest secondary school Maori and Pacific Islands' cultural festival in the world. It is also the spectacular community event in which our youth express themselves through the song and dance of their own and other Pacific cultures. 2008 saw a record number of cultural groups enter ASB Polyfest competitions with an increase in each of the five cultural stages – Cook Islands, the Hapai Te Hauora Maori stage, the MIT Niue stage, Pacific Corned Beef Samoan stage & the ACC Tonga stage more...
Walking School Buses a great way to get fit with friends and family 4th May, 2008 Many Manukau Schools struggle to keep their walking buses running, but at Viscount Community Learning Centre School, three women from the same family are on the bus, rain, hail or shine. A walking school bus is a group of children who walk to and from school together supervised by adults. Last year there were about 75 primary schools with walking buses across Auckland more... Students at East Tamaki Primary learning and growing 6th June, 2008 East Tamaki Primary School year 1 to 6 students celebrated World Environment day be establishing a vegetable garden at the school. “Each class will look after one vegetable” says teacher Fiona Davies. “It’s a taster garden, which means that the children will grow the vegetables and be able to harvest and taste what they have grown.” “It also introduces children to new foods which they haven’t seen before” say Fiona.
The gardens have been developed thanks to the enthusiasm of teachers and talented volunteers and with funding for plants and gardening equipment from the Ministry of Health Nutrition Fund managed by the Let’s Beat Diabetes Programme more ... Targeting parents in successful healthy lifestyle initiative 9th June, 2008 Targeting parents through the Parenting Network led to a group of 21 Otara mums from four Otara schools participating at the Real Women’s Duathlon at Ambury Park this month. It has created a platform for many initiatives including regular walking excursions through the Let’s Beat Diabetes programme. Many of the women who began the walking groups never expected that they would be participating in a duathlon. REAL ambassador Linda Vagana, ex-Silver Fern and Samoa netball coach, walked with the walking groups on one occasion and inspired them to try the duathlon more... Different cultures flavour healthy eating plans 30th June, 2008 Carol Wildermoth of the Counties Manukau based Let’s Beat Diabetes Programme has been administering the Ministry of Health Nutrition funding round which closed on the 30th May.
According to Carol the response to the round has been unprecedented and a phenomenal success. “We are proud to say we have received 48 applications from the Early Childhood sector and have been able to approve 45 of these.”
Counties Manukau is known for its diversity and the fund was taken up by a variety of organisations which are using the grants to establish unique projects for designed by them for their own centres, family and whanau more... What’s the beef? It’s one of Pasifika’s favourite treats. It could also be killing us – or our families 2nd July, 2008 Imagine 88 200 blocks of butter piled up outside your house. This is the amount of fat kiwis could avoid in their diets by simply skimming the oil from the more the one million kilos of corned beef we eat every year. According to Let’s Beat Diabetes Programme dietitian Sarah Buzink, heating and draining the fat from a 340g tin of corned beef can result in a 43 per cent reduction of fat intake for that meal more... Fruit in Schools Funding to Continue
12 August, 2008
The Ministry of Health intends to extend the contracts for Fruit in Schools initiatives until the 30th June 2010.
Currently 53 primary schools in the Counties Manukau region participate in the Fruit in Schools programme offers students attending low-decide primary schools a free piece of fruit each day and aims to encourages children to eat more fruit and adopt healthier lifestyles more...
Networks are working well in Papakura getting people up and active
14th, October, 2008 Maki Brown has been the Whanau Sports organiser for the Papakura Recreation & Fitness Centre Since July this year. Keeping Whanau active is her passion.
Whanau Sports are held every Sunday during term time. They started in 2006 with the help of a Community Action Funding grant from the Let’s Beat Diabetes Programme as an opportunity to get families active together, to introduce families to different sports and to promote healthy lifestyles to prevent problems like obesity and Type 2 Diabetes more... From one field to another: Silao Vaisola brings Pacific together for Lotu Moui Games
16th August, 2008
Keeping Pacific people happy, healthy and moving is a passion for Silao Vaisola. He is one of two Community Development Officers working in the Counties Manukau District Health Board Pacific Team and he knows that there is now quick fix to keeping healthy.
Siloa, an international rugby star, represented Samoa in the Rugby World Cup in France 2007 and has played rugby in New Zealand at a provincial level for years. He wasn’t always the fit kid though more... Getting Back to Basics 19th September, 2008 Counties Manukau District Health Board and Family and Community Services through the Ministry of Social Development collaborate in the LBD partnership in order to enable Vulnerable Families to make healthy choices.
Healthy living is often as a low priority for people who are already struggling with life issues such as money, family and employment and any steps need to be simple and cost effective for families more... King Tuheitia launches healthy cookbook as prelude to the MWWL national conference
9 October, 2008
At the Civic Centre reception held at Manukau City Council a recipe book was launched by King Tuheitia Paki and his wife Te Atawhai in a lead up to the annual national conference for the Maori Women’s Welfare League more...
South Asian community alerted to health risk 10th October, 2008 Diabetes and obesity are now being recognized as a significant issue for people from South Asia i.e. India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan. It also concerning for Fijian and South African Indians living within Counties Manukau more... The Lotu Moui Games – It’s Massive
23rd October, 2008
“It’s big. It’s massive!” those are the words from Silao Vaisola Sefo, former Manu Samoa and New Zealand provincial rugby player about the build up the first ever Lotu Moui games.
Silao took up the role of Community Development Officer at the Counties Manukau District Health Board for the Lotu Moui Programme earlier this year and has been an integral part of the team working with Churches to bring together the Olympic-styled event more...
A collaborative project around schools and local food outlets 31st October, 2008
The Improving School Lunches and Nearby Dairies (ISLAND) project being run at Southern Cross Campus is gathering momentum after its inception in August this year.
The Let’s Beat Diabetes facilitated project aims to make the students’ food environment in-and-around Southern Cross Campus healthier more... CMDHB Strategic Decision Modelling 31st October, 2008 CMDHB Planning and Funding team lead by Gary Jackson and Keming Wang have been developing complex population and point of contact computer decision models.
The process of building this type of computer modelling allows the DHB to better understand the whole health system more... Homegrown, the Chinese Way 31st October, 2008 A special gardening training programme for Chinese by Chinese who want to grow their own food in their backyards will be starting off in Manukau on Saturday 1st November more... Having family to help is very important
7th November, 2008
Diabetes is the second major cause of preventable death for Pacific Island people in Counties Manukau. And according to the Let’s Beat Diabetes Benchmark Survey released earlier this year 80% of our pacific people were at risk of diabetes.
Mr Fruean, 77 year old Samoan man living in Manukau, knows the risks of Type 2 Diabetes first-hand. He is a regular visitor to Middlemore hospital with complications more...
Small changes make for a long life
7th November, 2008
When Parakash Chandar Sund was first diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes his wife was very worried. She was worried for her husband, for his health, and she was worried for herself and her children for what might lay ahead for them.
That was over forty years ago more... Tu Whatukura – Maaori men taking the lead
7th November, 2008
“Tu Whatukura” is a Maori men’s group run at the Counties Manukau District Health Board. It is coordinated and run by Dr Richard Cooper, Ngati Hine, Ngapuhi and Cook Islands, as part of the Let’s Beat Diabetes Self-management Education Programme where he helps Maaori learn to control one of our silent killers, Type 2 Diabetes.
“At the sessions men are able to talk freely about their issues,” says Richard, “and we bring in specialists to talk about important topics. There’s no shame and we are all learning.” more... Manukau sculpture lit to unite global cause 12th November, 2008
The Millennium Scupture He Taonga Hiranga Whakanui Whanau (a gift to portray the importance of family) will be lit blue on Friday 14th November, joining in with the lighting of nearly 600 iconic landmarks around the globe for World Diabetes Day.
The monuments are lighting to Bring Diabetes to Light as part of the global World Diabetes Day Monument Challenge more...
|
