Nutrition & Health

Foundation

Dr Louise Sullivan 19

th

November 2007

Irish Nutrition & Health Foundation (NHF)

 The NHF was established in Dublin, Ireland, in January 2005  Why?

  Positive action to improve the health of Irish consumers was needed Changing consumer behaviour requires input from ALL relevant stakeholders – including Government, Industry, Scientists, Health Professionals and others  This unified approach can only be achieved by bringing all relevant stakeholders to the table to work together in a single ‘multi-stakeholder platform’

NHF Mission

 To be a key driver in promoting consumer by providing them with evidence-based information on both nutrition & physical activity behavioural change  To be proactive and to be part of the solution to Ireland’s obesity and other health problems  To bring together government, scientists, health professionals and industry to tackle Ireland’s health issues in a unified manner  To put the consumer at the heart of our mission

Our Supporters

 Government (State Agencies)  Internationally recognised Scientists & Health Professionals  Industry - 25 of the leading Irish food & drink companies

Key NHF Projects

 Research   Consumer Research (2005, 2007) Scientific Research (IUNA Food Consumption Survey in Teenagers)  Lifestyle Behaviour Change in General Practice  Joint project with Irish College of General Practitioners to educate GPs/Practice Nurses about how to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours through the General Practice  Workplace Wellbeing   1 st Workplace Wellbeing Programme launched Sept ‘05 Follow-up Workplace Wellbeing Campaign launched May ‘07

Rationale for Health Promotion in the Workplace

 Busy working lifestyles leave less and less time for people to focus on their health  NHF Research has shown that people feel unsupported by their workplace when it comes to engaging in physical activity  Irish workers need a solution that motivates them to adopt a healthy lifestyle and shows them how to fit physical activity into their working day

Workplace Wellbeing Campaign

 Launched in May 2007 to promote Health & Wellbeing in workplaces throughout Ireland     Simple Approach  Information booklet/Planner for each staff member  Notepad for each staff member (with healthy lifestyle branding)  Posters/signage for communal areas  Toolkit for management  Access to ‘wellbeing network’ for management No training required No costly equipment included Campaign Packs made Free to participating companies/organisations

Messaging

 Developed by NHF Scientific Committee  Equal emphasis given to the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity  Nutrition;  Physical Activity         5 Steps to healthier eating What we get wrong Portion Size Advice Swap & Save at Work Healthy Packed Lunches Tips for shift workers Healthy Daily Menus Food Pyramid Guide       Why Exercise is so Important Targets & What to Expect How to Make Time in your Day Range of ‘Everyday Exercises’ How to go for Fitness Social Aspects of Exercise

Campaign Materials

Information Booklet Notepad Toolkit Guide

Campaign Posters

Campaign Posters

Campaign Success

 Campaign was marketed through business newsletters and national/local press (non-advertised)  Response from companies/organisations has been enormous  Now on our 3 rd  print run of Free Campaign Packs Expect to reach 62,500 employees by January 2008  Demand for packs has continually outstripped supply  Clear evidence that companies need these types of resources!

Some of the Participating Companies/Organisations

                  Aer Lingus Allianz Bank of Ireland BD Medical BDO Simpson Xavier Canada Life Coca Cola Danone Department of Defense Department of Social & Family Affairs DHL Diageo Electricity Supply Board GlaxoSmithKline HSBC Irish Business & Employers Confederation Irish Rugby Football Union Irish Times Ltd                 Kellogg’s KPMG Leo Pharmaceutical Mars Foods McDonald’s Microsoft Nestle Ireland Price Waterhouse Coopers Rabobank Revenue Commissioners Sherring Plough Stenaline Ferries Trinity College Dublin Unilever University College Dublin (National Nutrition Surveillance Centre) Wellman International

Future for Campaign

 500 new packs to be distributed to new participating organisations over the coming weeks  4 new ‘refresher’ campaign posters currently being developed for December/January distribution to existing participating organisations  NHF to embark on talks with key stakeholder groups to broaden the scope of this proven model to reach more employees throughout Ireland

Key Learnings

 Keep it Simple  If it sounds complicated, HR will be put off  Don’t be too ambitious at first  Better start with a very simple programme and build upon it later, if necessary  Cost is a barrier  Much easier to take on a programme that is free  HR Departments are interested in Wellbeing Initiatives  Make it as easy as possible for them to participate!

Thank You!