Leading thinkers from the health, planning and transport industries drawn from across NSW gathered today in Parliament House as part of FitNSW, a peak annual fitness forum aimed at promoting more active and healthy NSW communities.

The second annual FitNSW forum, organised by the Premier’s Council for Active Living, was staged to promote increased physical activity across industry, government agencies and the wider NSW community.

Assistant Minister for Health Jai Rowell opened the conference today, saying healthy community initiatives were becoming increasingly important given over half the adult population and more than one in five school age children in NSW are overweight or obese.

“The NSW Government is committed to reducing the rates of overweight and obesity in adults and children as a priority in NSW 2021, A Plan to Make NSW Number One,” Mr Rowell said.

“The NSW Healthy Eating and Active Living Strategy: Preventing Overweight and Obesity in NSW 2013-2018 (HEAL) provides a whole of government framework to promote and support healthy eating and active living in NSW and to reduce the impact of lifestyle-related chronic disease.”

Mr Rowell also released the Year 1 Status Report of the NSW Healthy Eating Active Living Strategy at the FitNSW conference.

“The NSW Healthy Eating and Active Living Strategy sets out the steps the NSW Government will undertake over the next five years to promote healthy eating, physical activity and the achievement and maintenance of healthy weight in children and adults,” Mr Rowell said.

The NSW Healthy Eating and Active Living Strategy has been informed by an evidence review of interventions to prevent overweight and obesity in the community, focussing on:

· Creating environments to support healthy eating and active living;
· Delivering state-wide healthy eating and active living support programs;
· Integrating healthy lifestyle advice as part of routine service delivery; and,
· Providing education and information to enable informed, healthy choices.

The NSW Government will continue to work across government in collaboration with industry and the community sector to ensure people are able to enjoy the benefits of a health, active life,” Mr Rowell said.