Unique Health Promotion Resources for Rural Communities

Creating an Oasis from a Resource Desert

Integrating right and left brain learning approaches in developing health promotion resources for rural Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal Communities.

Health promotion in Tweed uses creative educational techniques such as art, music, playwriting and conventional community education methods. They raise awareness and educate our community about the following issues:

Tobacco reduction
Falls prevention
Community exercise
Diabetes
Asthma
Skin cancer
Heart health
Aboriginal health
Dental health
Environmental health
Child health

Tweed Health Promotion has developed an innovative and effective program to make health promotion resources with, and for, the community. The team's goal was to produce 'whole brain' resources relevant to local geographic and cultural target population groups in the Tweed Valley of Northern NSW. In order to achieve that goal the team devised the following objectives:

identify effective ways of presenting health information incorporating right and left brain learning
increase the capacity of the Community Health Centre and local hospital staff to produce their own health promotion resources easily and economically
address identified health issues relevant to local target populations
identify a flexible, cheap and durable resource medium, which can be up-dated when necessary, thus ensuring sustainability

The health promotion team have worked with NRAHS staff, and the community to produce stunning resources in the form of wall hangings addressing all of the above listed topics. They design and make wall hangings by painting on Holland blinds. The vivid and effective wall hangings which result are visually dynamic, and convey their messages in a very direct and compelling manner.

When these resources are not in use by staff, they are hung in Community Health Centres or lent out to community groups. The benefits of designing resources locally include:

environmentally and economically sound (volunteers, unemployed, community service people work with staff)
encourages teamwork and group ownership
quick and fun to produce
adaptable and flexible
updated easily
specific to local target groups- cultural and geographic
can fill resource gap on topics where there are limited or no resources available, e.g. head lice
easily transported, hung, and repaired
taps hidden artistic talent
educationally effective
simple colourful messages which are easily recalled
can be used by any teacher, educator, health worker in the community
can be used for active or passive educational purposes
relevant to people with limited literacy levels

If you would like more information about this cost effective and innovative project please contact one of those responsible for this initiative:

Sue Follent- Senior Aboriginal Health Educator at the Bugalwena Service,
07 550607597
Julia Gill - Health Promotion Officer at the Tweed Heads Community Health Centre
07 5516 7516
Maxine Molyneaux Health Promotion Officer at The Byron Bay Community Health Centre
02 66856254