RESPOND
Global Centre for Preventive Health and NutritionRESPOND (Reflexive Evidence and Systems interventions to Prevent Obesity and Non-communicable Disease) was a 5-year National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded Partnership Project Grant from 2018 to 2023 and included a one-year extension with a final conclusion date of 30 November 2024. The project was led by Professor Steve Allender.
RESPOND was a shared community approach to healthy children.
RESPOND Community Actions Showcase
We are excited to share the highlights from our final RESPOND meeting, which took place in Benalla, October 2024. During this event, we celebrated the achievements of the RESPOND communities and acknowledged the pivotal role played by our partners and communities throughout the project.
The presentation slides (linked below) showcase the community successes and positive impact of the RESPOND work. We highly value the support of our partners and communities, and we take great pride in celebrating the remarkable achievements of the RESPOND communities.
Alpine
Benalla
Indigo
Mansfield
Mitchell
Murrindindi
Ovens Murray and Goulburn Valley
Greater Shepparton
Strathbogie
Towong
Wangaratta
Wodonga
RESPOND Region
Encompassing ten Local Government Authorities, 14 health services and 116 schools, reaching more than 30,000 children, this application builds on a 15-year history of working in partnership with regional Victorian communities to deliver community-led health promotion/ prevention initiatives. The Chief Investigator team and partners have co-developed and demonstrated a cutting- edge approach to support communities in successfully addressing the complex drivers of childhood health and wellbeing in small trials, with pilot sites in Greater Shepparton and Moira. This includes the training of people in community health, education and lay members to apply methods from ‘systems science’ to the prevention of obesity and establishment of a low- cost childhood health and wellbeing monitoring system.
To assess effectiveness, the anthropometric and behavioural monitoring system expands the entire Ovens Murray and Goulburn Valley regions of Victoria. Data was collected in 2019 and again in 2022 from Grade 2, 4 and 6 students examining changes in children’s weight and health behaviours across four domains: food and drink consumption, physical activity and screen time, sleep and wellbeing, and healthy weight.
RESPOND in brief
Watch our brief RESPOND explainer video (03:12)
Reports
Read the RESPOND Regional Childhood Health Behaviours and Anthropometry Report (2019-2022).
Read the 2019 RESPOND regional Childhood Health Behaviours and Anthropometry Report.
See what is happening locally:
- Mansfield RESPOND
- Grow Well Dindi
- Healthy Kids Mitchell
- RESPOND Wangaratta, Wodonga and Alpine
- Wangaratta Case Study – RESPOND
RESPOND will drive positive and practical changes from the ground up, supporting the communities to become world leaders in promoting healthy weight among children. Whether it be determining the way organisations allocate funding, removing sugar-sweetened beverages from community facilities, or establishing a childhood obesity monitoring system, the initiatives will be led by the community.
Professor Steven Allender
Contact: contact@respond.deakin.edu.au
