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We aim to make life better for all Queenslanders by improving health and wellbeing, and reducing health inequity.

Health and Wellbeing Queensland brings people and decision making together to create a shared agenda for a healthier future. We leverage and mobilise opportunities for Queenslanders to move more and sit less, and make healthier food and drink choices more often.

Introduction

We began as a simple idea for a health promotion agency. Over many months people shared their thoughts and this helped shape legislation to create Health and Wellbeing Queensland.

The Queensland Parliament passed the Health and Wellbeing Queensland Bill on 2 May 2019. The agency officially commenced 1 July with the appointment of a Board and interim CEO.

The Health and Wellbeing Queensland journey is beginning.

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About us

We are a health promotion agency established to improve the health and wellbeing of all Queenslanders, and reduce health inequities. We work in partnership with others to reduce risk factors that lead to chronic diseases.

The Board and interim CEO are the foundations and over the coming months their strategic discussions and decisions will shape the agency.

Our efforts are aligned to the Queensland Government target in Our Future State: Advancing Queensland’s Priorities to increase the proportion of adults and children with a healthy body weight by 10% by 2026.

The Health and Wellbeing Queensland Act 2019 establishes our functions which are to:

  • Facilitate and commission activities
  • Develop partnerships and collaborate
  • Give grants for activities
  • Monitor and evaluate activities
  • Develop policy and advise the Minister and government entities
  • Coordinate exchange of information

Our opportunities

  • Cross-government collaboration

  • Challenging traditional thinking, activating the community

  • Fostering partnerships with the community, academia and the private sector

  • Addressing significant healthcare challenges

  • Leveraging existing work and scaling it for additional benefits

  • Administering grants based on common objectives

  • Tailoring activities and approaches based on locations and needs

Challenges to the health of Queenslanders

While many Queenslanders are living longer, this can also mean spending more time with illness. Much of this illness is caused by chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers.

There is broad scope for prevention as about one-third of the burden of disease in Queensland can be attributed to the combined effect of preventable risk factors, such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure and smoking. These same risk factors also account for 43 per cent of deaths and 15 per cent of hospitalisations in Queensland.

Despite recent slowing in the rate of increase in overweight and obesity, the overall population burden of unhealthy weight remains a significant concern. Currently, one in four children and two in three adults in Queensland is overweight or obese. The health of Queenslanders 2018 - Report of the Chief Health Officer Queensland identifies unhealthy weight as a persistent challenge.

Diet and physical activity are closely linked to body weight trends. More than one-third of the energy intake of the average Queensland adult is from unhealthy ‘junk’ foods and 39 per cent of Queensland adults do not meet the guidelines to be active for 30 minutes a day on most days of the week.

Health and Wellbeing Queensland creates new opportunities to make it easier for people to achieve and maintain healthy lifestyles.

Contact us

For general enquiries, including partnership opportunities, please email info@hw.qld.gov.au