Justice Health has revealed the combined figures for girth and weight loss for participants of the 2016 Aboriginal Health Knockout Challenge at the Wellington Correctional Centre have reached the hundreds.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Male and female participants lost a combined total of approximately 269cm across their girth and 84.93kg in weight.
15 of the 63 participants were released from custody during the challenge.
The Knockout Challenge was a 10-week intensive program where ambassadors provided inmates with exercise, fitness and nutrition support.
Other program initiatives included replacement of white bread with healthier brown or grain options, the creation of an Aboriginal women’s garden and the repairing of broken gym equipment at the centre.
While the NSW Health initiative is in its sixth year of operation, Network Chief Executive Gary Forrest said this was the first time it had been run in a correctional centre.
“This initiative engages patients in their healthcare, with patients setting personal goals to improve their health and well-being,” Mr Forrest said.
“One of the strengths of the program is the peer and cultural support that comes from patients working together to reach their targets.
A Justice Health spokesperson said while the 10-week challenge has concluded, many of the participants have continued with their new exercise habits and are sharing their healthy lifestyle strategies with others.
“This ripple effect is particularly encouraging given those in custody often have lower levels of health literacy and experience higher rates of chronic and complex health conditions than the wider community.”
Inmates commonly experience poorer health than the general community.
Aboriginal people in custody experience even higher levels of health disadvantage, particularly in relation to chronic health conditions such as Hepatitis C, cardiac problems, and drug and alcohol misuse.
