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21 November 2008
QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT GETS OFF THE COUCH ON OBESITY
The Heart Foundation congratulates the Queensland Government on winning a Gold Medal in
the inaugural Australia and New Zealand Obesity Society (ANZOS) Couch Potato awards,
launched today at their Annual Scientific Meeting.
The Couch Potato awards score how each state and territory measure up on action to prevent
obesity, in areas such as programs, policy, legislation and funding.
Heart Foundation CEO, Mr Cameron Prout, says “The Heart Foundation supports the
Queensland Government’s strategies and it deserves praise for innovative policies that have
seen healthier foods in school tuckshops and in hospitals, mandatory physical activity in
schools, and social marketing campaigns to reinforce healthy eating and being active.”
“We also congratulate the Queensland Government for proposing to ban junk food advertising to
children. The Heart Foundation urges the Queensland Government to make good on its
proposal to do just that and bring in legislation to stop children being exploited”.
However, Queensland still has a long way to go to see an impact on overweight and obesity
rates. The release of the Chief Health Officer’s report The Health of Queenslanders 2008 last
week shows that 63% of men and 51% of women are overweight or obese in Queensland. If the
Queensland Government is going to achieve its Toward Q2: Tomorrow’s Queensland target to
cut obesity by one third by 2020, much more will need to be done.
What the Queensland Government has in place is a good start, but there needs to be a
sustained, well-funded, and comprehensive healthy weight strategy across all sectors of
government and the community, to turn this tide.
Two critically important components for tackling obesity are building infrastructure that supports
safe, enjoyable active living and investing much more in active modes of transport.
“We are far too car dependent in Queensland and our policies and funding still prioritise the car
over other forms of transport,” says Mr Prout. “We need to help people get out of their cars and
into public transport, cycling and walking. We need the Queensland Government to increase
funding exponentially to these areas if we are going to help Queenslanders reduce their
waistlines and stay out of hospital.”
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The Heart Foundation saves lives and improves health through funding world-class cardiovascular research,
guidelines for health professionals, informing the public and assisting people with cardiovascular disease. As a
charity, the Heart Foundation relies on donations and gifts in Wills to continue its lifesaving research, education and
Media contact: Jill Sims, Media & Communications Manager 07 3872 2541 or 0421 911 116
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