The Department of Health is to engage the University of Queensland to develop an online nutrition resource for Australian children up to five years of age.
The Department said the initiative was aimed at helping parents, early childcare workers, GPs and other health professionals improve children’s nutrition.
Announcing the measure, Minister for Health, Greg Hunt said the Government recognised the importance of establishing healthy eating habits in early childhood.
“These can continue into adulthood, reducing the risk of developing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” Mr Hunt said.
“Unfortunately, many Australian children do not eat enough nutritious foods such as vegetables, grains, legumes, proteins and dairy products.”
He said the online tools being developed would include short videos, written information, quizzes and discussion boards, targeted at children of different developmental ages under five.
“Karitane, a leading not-for-profit health service, is being funded over three years for the project Connecting the Dots for Healthy Beginnings in Early Childhood – A National Approach,” Mr Hunt said.
“Connecting the Dots will improve early childhood nutrition literacy and provide practical knowledge for children, parents, carers, health professionals and care providers.”
The Minister said this would be done through live nutrition education classes for parents; accredited training for GPs; and resources targeted at a range of health professionals.
“This project recognises that GPs are well placed to provide nutrition information for parents of young children during consultations that already occur during early childhood, such as for immunisations,” he said.
“The resources of both projects will be provided online and for free to make them accessible across Australia, including rural and remote locations,” Mr Hunt said.
