Accelerated implementation and uptake of evidence-based interventions to reduce obesity was driven by a high-functioning community partnership and tribal leader network. The collective impact of the tribal approach of continuous leadership of and investment in tribes resulted in behavioural changes in active living, healthy eating and weight loss.
Let's Shape Up! Inspire your Tribe to reduce obesity
Summary
Aim
Let's Shape Up! (LSU) aimed to unleash the potential of community-wide tribal leaders to collectively expand their scope of practice to activate the rural and remote population across Mackay Hospital Health Services (MHHS) to engage in evidence-based interventions. These interventions address environmental, socio-cultural and behaviour changes to improve healthy eating and active living. Vulnerable groups and at-risk communities are priorities. LSU was aligned with Queensland and Australian goals for obesity and chronic disease prevention.
Benefits
Obesity has the potential to overwhelm health systems and economic security. The NHF "couch potato" index listed Mackay as fifth in Australia for inactivity, obesity and chronic disease.
Collectively, the activation and accelerated resulting from LSU are building community capacity and changing the socio-cultural norms and environmental supports for Mackay HHS residents towards healthier eating and more active living, to enable long term sustained behaviour change.
Background
Using social inclusion, patient activation and behavioural economics theories and nudge concepts, a tribal approach was adopted to guide community activation by using key social influencers and opinion leaders to encourage and support their tribes and networks toward behaviour change, while enhancing the environmental supports and building sociocultural norms to increase healthy eating and active living.