The UniSA Mount Gambier Campus recently held a public lecture hosted by UniSA Allied Health and Human Performance’s professor Susan Hillier and Doctor Caroline Fryer about the university’s Healthy Choices program that attracted almost 90 people.
The free UniSA program partners participants with health coaches to improve their health and wellbeing while living with a chronic condition.
Healthy Choices is a six to-12 week program via Telehealth for adults in regional areas who are living with or at risk of developing a chronic health condition.
The program is part of a UniSA research study funded by the Medical Research Futures Fund which is a $22b long-term investment supporting Australian health and medical research by the Australian Government.
Professor Hillier said she was pleased with the nearly full house for the Healthy Choices program lecture.
“What we wanted to do firstly is to help people understand about why do we all know what we should be doing to be healthy if it’s so darn hard to do?,” she said.
“That is really the crux of our research clinical trial which we have been running in the metropolitan area for 18 months.
“With the Healthy Choices trial the literature suggests that if you have someone to help you so this idea of having a health coach makes a difference because you can talk through with them and check your understanding of your health issue.
“Participants know that some of the lifestyle choices would help them be healthier, they just cannot do it so we talked about why that is hard and why because we are changing habits.
“Caroline Fryer, my colleague … talked about how people could be involved and what it would look like if they did.
“People can still sign up all this year and most of next year. We have just opened it up for Mount Gambier and we are negotiating to open it up for people in other regional areas.”
UniSA Mount Gambier Campus regional manager Ian McKay said the presentation by Professor Hillier and Dr Fryer was excellent.
“Those in attendance were highly engaged, with many questions and much conversation after the presentation,” he said.
“UniSA Mount Gambier is delighted to host our free public lecture series at our local campus.
“The next lecture is being held on August 22 and will be titled, How should we think about Artificial intelligence and Education and will be delivered by Professor Sam Sellar, Dean of Research UniSA Education Futures.”
Participants must be over 18 to participate in Healthy Choices and have or be at risk of developing a chronic health condition such as diabetes, heart condition, respiratory illness, mental health disorder, musculoskeletal disorder, kidney disease, pain or be a cancer survivor.
Anyone eligible who meets the criteria and would like to get involved or know more can phone 0421 694 945 to speak to a member of the Healthy Choices team, or email healthychoices@unisa.edu.au
