Eastern Bay Edition - September 2016
Sideline - fizzy
drink free zone
As we head into the Junior Touch season
in the Bay of Plenty, one of the biggest
league’s YMCA Tauranga, has issued
a challenge to others to get rid of fizzy
drinks for sale on the sideline.
Touch is one of the most popular summer
sports children participate in across the
region.
Above and left: Auckland based health students
working on a patient in a mock rural emergency.
A group of student health professionals
has been given a taste of what it’s like to
work in rural areas, spending a weekend
in the Eastern Bay.
Thirty Auckland based students training
in medicine, nursing, social work, and
podiatry, stayed at Puwairua marae, took
a tour of Whakatāne Hospital and were
put through their paces in a mock rural
emergency situation with local St John
crews.
The ‘Grassroots’ weekend was organised
by the Whakatāne Rural Health Interprofessional
Programme (RHIP), a
student placement joint initiative between
the Bay of Plenty DHB Clinical School
and the University of Auckland, Auckland
University of Technology and Waiariki
Institute of Technology.
The programme, launched in Whakatāne
Students
get back to
Grassroots
in the
Eastern Bay
in 2013, aims to improve the recruitment
and retention of our doctors, nurses and
other health professionals in rural New
Zealand. The programme is also run in
Gisborne.
The students also had the opportunity of
enjoying some of the Eastern Bay’s great
outdoors including kayaking on Ohiwa
harbour and visiting the Awakeri Hot
pools.
It’s the second time Academic Coordinator,
Yvonne Boyes has run the Grassroots
weekend.
She says for some students being exposed
to life in a rural town was quite a contrast
to their lives in Auckland. And some
expressed an interest in returning to the
region in their final year of medicine to
experience more of the Eastern Bay.
In the YMCA Tauranga league alone,
which covers Tauranga South, around 600
children from Under 7 to Under 14 played
touch last season.
Hayden Mason who organises it expects
the numbers to be similar this year. He
says it’s awesome to see the numbers of
kids playing, getting exercise and there is
simply no need to load up with fizzy drink
after the game.
“I just tell the kids to bring a drink bottle,
and I point them in the direction of a tap,”
says Hayden.
The average can of fizzy drink contains
six or more teaspoons of sugar. The
World Health Organisation guidelines
recommend that a child should have no
more than about three or four teaspoons of
sugar per day.
YMCA drink bottles are on hand as prizes
at Touch games, another incentive to drink
water.
YMCA Tauranga is challenging Touch
Associations to stop the sale of fizzy drinks at
games this season.
Aside from organising Touch, Hayden
works with kids in the YMCA’s after
school programme.
YMCA Tauranga is part of the Tauranga
Activity & Nutrition Group, a network
of organisations and businesses working
together to promote healthy eating and
activity in our communities.
“You really notice the difference in
children who you see regularly, if they’ve
had sweet treats at school that day. They
come in wired, bouncing off the wall.
They’re not bad children, but you notice
their behaviour has changed.”
New Zealand has one of the highest levels
of childhood obesity amongst OECD
(Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development) countries. Last year
a Childhood Obesity Prevention Plan
was launched with numerous initiatives
involving various organisations and
community groups to stem the tide of
obesity.
Let’s Kick Butt Together
For some, quitting smoking for a month
doesn’t seem as daunting as going cold
turkey. The good news is, if you
can make it through that first
month, you are more likely to
stay smokefree.
“There are many
benefits to becoming
smokefree,”
says
Alice Walker, Health
Improvement Advisor at Toi Te
Ora – Public Health Service.
“In the first month alone you
should notice your breathing is easier, your
sense of smell and taste has improved and
your blood pressure and heart rate will also
be lower,” says Alice.
By joining the online Stoptober challenge
participants will receive regular
motivational messages to help
them stay on track.
There is also the
option to register a
support crew who
will receive tips on
how to encourage those
on their quit journey with
some great prizes on offer.
“Having support is essential
for success,” says Alice. “It’s important to
get the right help, and recruit your friends
and family to help you stay strong.”
The YMCA, which runs numerous after
school and holiday programmes has,
amongst other initiatives, taken a closer
look at what food is provided to children
and has increased fruit and vegetable
options. It also provides healthy option
cooking classes.
Next year YMCA Tauranga is set to host
the National Youth Development Camp
and healthy eating and activity will be the
focus.
Stoptober encourages people to kick
the butt for the month of October.
“The first few weeks of stopping smoking
are often tough. However, being aware
of triggers and avoiding these can make
a big difference. Create a
smokefree environment
in your home and in
your car, and ask
others not to smoke
around you,” says
Alice.
“Contact
Quitline or a local
smokefree support service
to help develop a plan and get the
right support for your needs.”
If you or someone you know would like to
give quitting a go this Stoptober, register at
www.stoptober.nz. Quitting smoking for
a month is always easier in groups, so get
your friends and family together and give
it a go this October! See how much better
you feel after a month
without cigarettes!
For additional faceto-face support across
both Eastern and Western Bay