Addressing obesity and its associated complications and chronic disease has become everyone's business and Apunipima’s Nutrition Team Leader, Melinda Hammond knows that more than most.

Ms Hammond has been working hard in Cape York to develop partnerships that support a multi-agency response to obesity prevention.

As a result Ms Hammond has been invited to present at the CO-OPS Collaboration’s National Workshop “Obesity Prevention Complex but Conquerable”.

Taking place in Melbourne this week, the workshop will bring together stakeholders across sectors and settings – from primary healthcare, hospital, community and public health sectors to local government and NGOs - who can influence the integration of prevention from hospital to home in an effort to reverse the obesity trends in Australia.

Ms Hammond said obesity is a growing issue across the whole of Australia including the remote communities of Cape York.  

“Here at Apunipima we have been working closely with a range of partners and implementing a range of initiatives that work towards obesity prevention,” Ms Hammond said.

“In many stores across Cape York we have introduced food badging so people can see at a glance where the healthy choice is; we have also worked with them on product placement so healthy choices are easily visible and accessible and we have even established a formal memorandum of understanding with Island & Cape Stores.

“We have worked with them to develop a Healthy Choices Rewards Scheme.  We are working with councils to try and limit the prevalence of unhealthy food establishments and continue to work with communities and engage them in making healthy choices.”