Background
Cancer Council Western Australia (CCWA) has partnered with Telethon Kids Institute (TKI) to develop a Rapid Obesity Policy Translation program.
This follows the release of the WA Sustainable Health Review Final Report, and the delivery of the WA Preventive Health Summit, which both identified the need for action to advance obesity policy reform in WA.
Methodologies
The partnership will establish a comprehensive program of work to achieve significant obesity policy reform. The presentation will describe the key elements which include:
- A critique of each of CCWA’s policy priorities around obesity prevention in WA to determine:
- the evidence for reform;
- appropriate mechanism/s for reform;
- the national context and comparison of WA to other jurisdictions;
- industry activity and counter-arguments to the proposed reforms;
- current levels of community and political support.
- The identification and commissioning of research project concepts that are needed to:
- Add to the evidence base for each policy;
- Convince decision makers and the community of the need for the policy; and
- Counter industry arguments that may oppose or undermine the policy.
- Undertaking opportunistic advertising, to build community and political support for policy change on selected issues, and to expose industry-marketing tactics.
- Undertaking an audit of all obesity prevention research currently being generated in WA, and establishing a Rapid Translation Research Network to enable research findings to be translated directly into programs and activities of CCWA and other relevant organisations.
- Measuring community awareness and changes in attitudes to the key policy issues communicated through the program.
CONCLUSION
CCWA and TKI have used a model to map out specific actions to build the case for obesity prevention policy outcomes in WA. This presentation will assist participants consider how to build the case for their own chosen policy outcome.