SCDHB

Five-year progress on the WAVE (Wellbeing and Vitality in Education) Project was presented to the SCDHB Community and Public Health Advisory Committee at a meeting today.

Staff from Community & Public Health presented the evaluation of WAVE - a five year health promotion project that has focused on children in early childcare education centres, primary and secondary schools, and other education settings in South Canterbury. 

Neil Brosnahan, regional manager for Community & Public Health, congratulated the SCDHB for its vision and commitment to providing funding for this successful project. 

WAVE is a health promotion initiative that works collaboratively between the education and health sectors, and with Sport South Canterbury.  WAVE helps create and support healthy environments for children and young people. The aim of WAVE is for long-term improvements in the health and education of children.

Nutrition and physical activity are the two major issues being addressed by this project.  Currently, 94% of education settings in the South Canterbury DHB region are participating in WAVE. This includes all tertiary education providers and secondary schools, 95% of primary schools and 86% of early childhood education centres.

The evaluation showed a number of statistically significant improvements such as:

• More professional development has been provided to early childhood teachers around physical activity and sunsmart.  And more early childhood teachers are working with external providers to promote physical activity.
• Primary schools showed improvements in the area of nutrition (for example, students being able to identify healthy food choices) and more primary school teachers are learning about Sunsmart.
• There were also improvements over time for the place of Hauora (health) in the learning experience at early childhood level, and the place of whānau at primary schools.

Other key improvements were noted such as:

• An emphasis on nutrition for early childhood, primary and secondary schools, particularly with improved professional development for teachers.
• The extent to which early childhood centres, primary and secondary schools believe the WAVE process has assisted them in promoting health and wellbeing has increased steadily over the past five years.
• There is also an improvement in how well early childhood centres and primary schools think their work with WAVE has been addressing the health and wellbeing of Maori students. 

Chris Fleming, Chief Executive of SCDHB, says he is pleased the investment the DHB has made in the WAVE project has contributed to the health of children. He congratulates the education sector for being committed to the health of students and their families.

The Iwi representative on the WAVE Steering Group, Koriana Waller, says she is pleased to see the evaluation shows education settings have a greater focus and sense of effectiveness in addressing the needs of Māori students.  She says local mana whenua will continue to work with WAVE and encourage further improvements to better meet the needs of Māori students.

South Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Dr Daniel Williams says "the challenge for the WAVE project now is to continue to ensure our children and young people are enabled to choose a healthy lifestyle and live in a healthy environment."

For more information contact:

Arlene Goss

Communications Manager,

South Canterbury District Health Board

Ph: 03 687 2395, Mobile:  027 276 4259

Or

Neil Brosnahan

Regional Manager South Canterbury

Community & Public Health

Ph: 0274 580 703