May 6, 2014

Illawarra researchers help local residents fight battle of the bulge

Local residents can sign up to an innovative health and lifestyle research study to help them lose weight.

Illawarra and Shoalhaven residents who are concerned about their weight and lifestyle habits are being asked to get involved in an innovative new trial of a personalised health program that will help them lose weight and develop a healthier lifestyle.

UOW and Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District researchers this week launched the HealthTrack Illawarra-Shoalhaven Healthy Lifestyle study, which brings together researchers with expertise in nutrition, psychology, public health, exercise physiology, medicine, social sciences and statistics to help community members find the most effective approach to weight loss.

Professor Linda Tapsell, one of Australia’s most recognised nutrition and dietetics experts, is the study’s scientific leader.

“More than 60 per cent of Australians are now overweight and Illawarra Shoalhaven residents are, on average, more overweight than the state average. Clearly new approaches to this perennial problem are needed,” she said.

According to a 2013 National Health Performance Authority report, almost two out of three, or 64 per cent, of adults in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven area are overweight or obese.

That means more than 190,000 adults in the region are overweight or obese.

HealthTrack, funded and hosted by the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, has taken over a year to develop and test and will now aim to recruit 360 local residents aged between 25 and 54.

Interested people must first complete a short online survey and suitable candidates will be selected to participate in the 12-month study, which includes a health program tailored to their needs and ongoing support from the HealthTrack team.

Those who are unable to do the trial will be given links to online health programs and can complete the survey again a year later.

“We all know the feeling of putting on a bit of weight but, for some of us, this continues to progress and can impact on wellbeing,” Professor Tapsell said.

“It can also increase our risk of developing diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The researchers in this study are bringing a diverse range of skills and backgrounds to the problem. They are passionate about helping people improve their lifestyles and will support the study’s participants who will not only be doing something for themselves, but contributing to the health of the local community by participating in scientific research.”

Professor Tapsell and the team are hoping that the local community gets behind the study by telling their friends, colleagues and family members about it.

“This is a great Illawarra initiative that feeds straight back into the community, so hopefully we can all work on it together.”

For more information and to apply to join the study, visit the HealthTrack website or call 1800 194 717.