Healthy lifestyle just the ticket
Taranaki patients are improving their health and wellbeing without the help of drugs. They are part of the Green Prescription, a collaboration between the Taranaki District Health Board (TDHB) and Sport Taranaki, in which people improve their health and reduce the burden of disease by more frequent activity.
The first step is written advice from a health profession to a patient to be physically active as part of that patient’s health management plan.
Seventy-nine per cent of all Taranaki referrals from the Green Prescription initiative are either taking steps towards changing their lifestyle behaviour for the better, or have already succeeded.
‘‘There are a variety of reasons someone might receive a Green Prescription from their doctor or nurse,’’ TDHB funding and planning general manager Becky Jenkins said.
‘‘Patients may have heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, weight issues, or arthritis.’’ Sport Taranaki has the local contract to deliver Green Prescription locally.
Its Green Prescription team works with more than 100 patients per month to assist them with setting appropriate goals around physical activity and nutrition, and their hard work is paying off.
Between July 2015 to June 2016 more than 1000 of the 1300 referrals received in Taranaki either participated in the Green Prescription programme or successfully completed it.
Green Prescription advisor Gaylene Phillips believes this is a great achievement for both the patient and staff who provide the service. Success with making healthy lifestyle changes depends on a number of factors.
‘‘People need to have a realistic plan that helps them achieve goals in stages or steps. Another factor is having support to stick with the plan. When people tell us that our support and guidance has helped them we feel honoured and pleased, not only for them but for the satisfaction of a job well done,’’ Phillips said.
Of those who participated or completed the programme 18 per cent were Maori and overall there was only a 21 per cent drop off rate in participants.