3 ways to build a healthy future for NSW

Transcription

1 3 ways t build a healthy future fr NSW Healthy cities Healthy lifestyle Healthy children Dear Treasurer, As yu prepare fr the Budget there are 3 key prgrams the Heart Fundatin NSW asks yu t fund this year and acrss the next 3 Budget cycles t We have develped this submissin in cnsultatin with key stakehlders and have briefed the relevant Ministerial and Departmental staff. The prgrams we have chsen t fcus n have been well develped, are evidence based, build n current State and Lcal Gvernment activities, and have the supprt f a brad range f cmmunity, gvernment and business stakehlders wh are cmmitted t their success. These 3 prgrams if funded t a sufficient level t achieve cmmunity behaviur change will all cntribute t achieving the Premier s Pririty t reduce childhd verweight and besity by 5% ver the next 10 years. Budget cmmitment ver 4 years t 2019 Surce f funding Outcmes Cyclesafe Netwrk $31 millin $1.5 billin frm infrastructure funding cmmitted frm lease f Prt f Newcastle Mnetised benefit f 5% f emplyed ppulatin riding t wrk using CSN is $50 millin per year Make Healthy Nrmal $36.4 millin NSW Health Budget A 5% reductin in verweight and besity wuld reduce diabetes csts by $3 8 millin per year. Active Travel Charter fr Children $12.5 millin Shared between 5 Departments ($2.5 millin each) Mnetised benefit f 5% f children riding t schl using the CSN is $8.8 millin per year

2 1. Healthy cities build the Cyclesafe Netwrk What are we asking fr? $31 millin ver 4 years The Cyclesafe Netwrk (CSN) is a system f family safe, easily navigated and usefully cnnected cycling, walking and shared paths acrss the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie lcal gvernment areas. The plan is t cnnect 90kms f existing paths with 140kms f new cnstructin t deliver an active transprt netwrk which will encurage lcal residents t cycle r walk fr every day shrt trips t wrk, schl, university, shps and ther lcatins. We are asking fr a cmmitment f $31 millin t cmplete Phase 1 f the prject by 2019, with a further cmmitment f $129.2 millin t cmplete the whle prject in 2 additinal phases by We believe funding fr the CSN shuld be made available frm the $1.5 billin f infrastructure funding cmmitted by the Premier frm the lease f the Prt f Newcastle. T date $340 millin has been cmmitted t the revitalisatin f Newcastle but the Plan fr Grwing Hunter City signals a need fr additinal funding t build infrastructure t meet the increased transprt demands f future ppulatin grwth. The area cvered by the CSN has ne f the highest rates f verweight and besity in NSW with 62.5% f the ppulatin verweight r bese cmpared t the NSW average f 52.3% and the area with the lwest rate (Sydney LHD) f 39.9%. There are substantial health benefits t be gained by increasing every day physical activity thrugh increasing daily active travel. In additin, the Hunter City area has a greater reliance n car travel than ther majr cities with 90% f the wrkfrce travelling t wrk by car. With new State Gvernment plans t increase the ppulatin f Hunter City t 750,000 it is essential that active transprt infrastructure cycling and walking paths be built t accmmdate the increased travel demands f the grwing ppulatin t prevent future traffic cngestin. The aim f the CSN is t make walking and cycling fr shrt trips less than 2kms fr walking and less than 10 kms fr cycling a viable alternative t car travel. An ecnmic appraisal f the CSN using Transprt fr NSW Bike Facility Tl was undertaken by cnsultants t the CSN Steering Cmmittee. They used 4 scenaris which prvide an indicatin f the benefits which culd be derived frm increasing cycling mde share. These include infrastructure savings, health benefits, traffic cngestin savings, envirnmental impacts and reductin in vehicle peratin csts. Using a cnservative estimate f 5% f the emplyed peple aged 15 years and ver using the CSN fr travel t and frm wrk (less than 10kms) the ttal mnetised benefits per year are arund $50 millin. At a ttal cst fr the building the full CSN f $163 millin the benefits wuld repay the cnstructin cst in just ver 3 years.

3 2. Healthy habits scale up the Make Healthy Nrmal prgram What are we asking fr? $36.4 millin ver 4 years In July 2015, the NSW Minister fr Health launched the Make Healthy Nrmal campaign t encurage peple t make small lifestyle changes which deliver large health benefits. T date $4.5 millin has been allcated t the Make Healthy Nrmal campaign. While this is a gd start, we knw frm NSW success in reducing smking rates and rad fatalities that a higher scial marketing spend is needed t change behaviurs and deliver psitive health utcmes. The reprted advertising spend fr NSW Health s Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Strategy frm July 2015 t Dec 2015 (6 mnths) was $1.3 millin. This is well belw the levels f media advertising f ther successful behaviur change campaigns. Fr example, in (12 mnths) $7.1 millin was spent n quit smking advertising and $16 millin n rad safety campaigns. Research int successful quit smking campaigns indicates that a spend f arund $3 per capita is needed t prduce sufficient weight f messaging fr effective behaviur change. Based n a current verweight/besity rate in NSW adults f 52%, an apprpriate level f spending wuld be $9.1 millin per year ($36.4 millin ver 4 years). Our mdern lifestyle cntinues t be the biggest preventable cause f illness and death in Australia. The latest Australian Institute f Health and Welfare (AIHW) burden f disease figures shw that after tbacc smking (which is declining), the lifestyle related risk factrs f insufficient physical activity and being verweight r bese cntribute the greatest burden f disease. These csts are substantial bth in direct csts t the health system and indirect scial csts t individuals and the ecnmy. NSW Health estimates verweight and besity csts NSW arund $19 billin annually, f which $2.7 billin are direct financial csts NSW Health s HEAL Strategy has cmprehensive and evidence based targets against which it reprts regularly. Mdelling n sme specific disease types and risk factrs undertaken by University f Sydney shws the ptential fr significant benefit if thse targets are achieved. The mnetised benefits wuld mre than repay the additinal csts t the campaign. A 5% reductin in verweight, fr example, wuld prevent 266 cases f Type 2 diabetes in men per year and 200 cases per year in wmen with a further 185 cases per year in men and 186 cases per year in wmen prevented by a 5% reductin in besity. As diabetes csts the health system between $4,000 and $9,600 per persn, a 5% reductin in bth verweight and besity wuld save between $3.3 millin and $8 millin per year in diabetes csts alne.

4 3. Healthy children actin the Active Travel Charter fr Children What are we asking fr? $12.5 millin ver 4 years The NSW Active Travel Charter fr Children was launched in Octber It was supprted by 15 Gvernment Agencies and NGOs with an interest in children s health and well-being - including NSW Health, Transprt fr NSW, the Department f Educatin and the Office f Envirnment and Heritage. Hwever it has never been funded. NSW Health s Office f Preventive Health has drafted an Active Travel t Schl Prgram and develped resurces fr parents, schls and cmmunities wh want t increase their children s walking and cycling as everyday transprt chices. The Heart Fundatin believes a cmmitment f $12.5 millin ver 4 years shared between the fllwing 5 Gvernment Agencies will help address any lcal cmmunity cncerns and increase the number f children wh walk r cycle each day. NSW Health thrugh the Office f Preventive Health Transprt fr NSW Department f Educatin Department f Planning Office f Lcal Gvernment Each department has an imprtant rle t play - frm imprving physical infrastructure arund schls, sprts fields and ther places where children travel, t prviding skills building wrkshps and infrmatin sessins fr parents and children. Declining physical activity in children has cntributed t the increase in verweight and besity seen in NSW children ver the last 10 years. The NSW Premier, Mike Baird, has recgnised the imprtance f addressing verweight and besity in children thrugh his cmmitment t reduce verweight and besity by 5% ver the next 10 years. Cmpared t previus generatins, the distance children travel by active transprt walking, cycling r catching public transprt is rapidly declining. There was a 42% decline between 1971 and Hwever, 57% f parents reprt their children g t a schl less than 3 kms away, well within cycling distance fr many children. It is difficult t mnetise the benefits f health imprvements t children as they dn t cntribute financially t the ecnmy. Hwever, mdelling dne n the ecnmic impact f increasing children s use f the CSN t travel t and frm schl (with the accmpanying reductin in car use by parents) indicates the benefits in health and reduced traffic cngestin culd be substantial. There are 63,000 children lcated within the catchment area f the CSN and 93 f the regin s 125 schls are lcated within 500m f the prpsed paths. If nly 5% f thse children began using the CSN fr trips t and frm schl the mnetised benefits (using Transprt fr NSW figures) wuld be $8.8 millin per year.

5 Abut the Heart Fundatin The Heart Fundatin is a nt-fr-prfit rganisatin cmmitted t imprving the heart health f all Australians. Thrugh its research, health prmtin prgrams and plicy develpment, the Heart Fundatin prmtes healthy public plicy t prevent heart disease and imprve the lives f peple living with heart disease. Because mdifiable risk factrs - including verweight/besity and insufficient physical activity - accunt fr 69% f the burden f cardivascular disease the Heart Fundatin has a particular fcus n building healthy envirnments which allw peple t live healthy lives. Cntact fr further infrmatin Wendy Oakes Snr Plicy and Advcacy Manager, Heart Fundatin NSW wendy.akes@heartfundatin.rg.au Ph: (02)