A performance audit of the ACT’s various childhood healthy eating and active living programs has found the programs did not effectively support core family needs for food security or financial access to active living.
In his audit ACT Childhood Healthy Eating and Active Living Program, Auditor-General Michael Harris examined programs run by ACT Health, Canberra Health Services, the Education Directorate, Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate and the Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate.
“While programs have been effective in directing effort to improving food and activity environments for children and building skills and knowledge for children and families, they have not effectively supported core family needs for food security and financial access to active living,” Mr Harris said.
“The audit identified variability between programs in the degree to which they provide equity of access for disadvantaged and at-risk populations,” he said.
“The audit also identified a need for improved understanding of the impacts of weight stigma and discrimination.”
Mr Harris said there was a high risk that current services to treat children aged four to 12-years-old with atypical eating or activity behaviours, atypical weight gain and related health concerns could not meet the scale or breadth of the ACT community’s needs.
He said there were no services of this type to assist children between birth and three years-old or young people between 13 and 17 years-old.
“Unmet demand and incomplete service delivery increase the risk of poor health outcomes for children, young people and adults and increases the cost and complexity of healthcare required later in life,” the Auditor-General said.
“The development of the second three-year action plan for the Healthy Canberra ACT Preventive Health Plan 2020-2025, currently in progress in the latter half of 2022, represents an opportunity for the ACT Health Directorate to develop further and specific actions to support healthy eating and active living for all children in the ACT and to track progress through effective performance measures.”
Mr Harris made eight recommendations with five to ACT Health aimed at improving its professional learning opportunities and practice guidelines, monitoring and reporting, and strategic actions in its next three-year implementation plans.
Two other recommendations were made to Transport Canberra and City Services aimed at improving its School Crossing Supervisors program and active travel programs and one to Canberra Health Services to address the risks of unmet demand and incomplete service delivery in the current service design.
The Auditor-General’s 127-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
The Audit Team was Megan Hemming and Matthew Bowden.
