Healthy competition
A new competition will help Maori and Pacific people make better food choices and get more active.
The Ka Mau Te Wehi trial will be run in Manawatu and Northland and a Pasifika competition will run in Auckland.
Seven teams of seven people at high risk for type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease and who have a body mass index of 30 or more, will take part in the competition.
Massey University’s school of public health is leading the trial and associate professor Dr Marewa Glover said the obesity epidemic had hit Maori and Pacific people hard. ‘‘We’ve had disproportionately high rates of obesity for many years with 66 per cent of Pacific people and nearly half of Maori classified as obese.’’
Teams will learn how to lose weight and will earn points for achieving daily goals aimed at increasing physical activity and changing their eating habits.
Points are also earned for completing weekly tasks designed to increase knowledge of portion sizes and making healthier cooking choices.
Shane Ruwhiu, suffers from diabetes and kidney failure. He spends six hours a day, three days a week, on haemodialysis. He is a team leader for a group of Maori men in the competition. He said Maori were one of the ethnic groups at highest risk of diabetes.
Ruwhiu said the competition was about breaking down barriers, particularly with Maori men.
There is a prize pool of $5000 for each region; $1000 at the end of two months and four months; and a grand prize of $3000 at the end of the six-month competition. The prize goes to a charity or community organisation chosen by the teams.