RESPOND
Global Centre for Preventive Health and NutritionRESPOND (Reflexive Evidence and Systems interventions to Prevent Obesity and Non-communicable Disease) is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded Partnership Project Grant from 2018 to 2023 (5 years), led by Professor Steve Allender.
RESPOND is a shared community approach to healthy children.
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 is collected biennially (2019, 2022- COVID delay- and 2024) from Grade 2, 4 and 6 students examining changes in children’s healthy 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)
Regional Data Reports
Read the RESPOND 2019 Regional Report.
Update (2022)
RESPOND has been largely impacted by the 2019/20 bushfires and COVID-19. As a result, The Pause and Reflect Study has been conducted to capture and understand these impacts. The project also plans to be extended an extra year, with anticipated finish date being November 2024. This year (2022) the second round of data collection/monitoring is taking place along with the recruitment of Step 2 communities.
See what is happening locally:
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