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Meet the charities influencing the better health of our young people

A group of teens talking and walking down the school path
A group of teens talking and walking down the school path

This year, we welcome five Aussie and three Kiwi organisations as our 2022 Health Smart partners who will receive funding totalling $360,000 to aid them in empowering young people to make smarter health choices.

We know that risk factors such as smoking, drinking at risky levels, poor diet, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity are big contributors to the chronic disease burden. Chronic diseases are also the leading cause of early death and living with illness in Australia, yet the good news is that so much of this is preventable, with an estimated 38% of the total disease burden due to modifiable risks.

It’s why we developed our Health Smart grants, to partner with charities who help Australians better understand these risks and the many positive steps they can make every day to help improve their long-term health

The charities will use digital platforms to deliver innovative programs and educational campaigns targeted at youth and young adults on topics, such as: mental health, vaping, sleep, harmful alcohol consumption and risk-related trauma.

For example, we’ve teamed up with Black Dog Institute to help get their Sleep Ninja app into the hands of young people because research suggests that up to 80% of adolescents don’t get their recommended 8-10 hours of sleep each night. By using this evidence informed App, we hope young Australians will adopt healthier sleep behaviours and, in turn, reduce their chances of developing mental health problems often linked to poor sleep.

Meanwhile, Monash University will be using nib foundation’s funding to adapt The Alfred’s ‘Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y.)’ Online Program, an initiative of Monash University and Alfred Health’s National Trauma Research Institute. Video content will be developed for high school classroom delivery to extend the reach of this well-established program and help improve students’ awareness and knowledge of the link between risk-taking behaviour and injury.

For the first time, we’re also excited to partner with three Kiwi charities, including digital mental health charity Clearhead, as well as University of Otago and Youthline.

In New Zealand, chronic conditions account for more than 80% of all deaths, yet like Australia, we know a third of this health burden is avoidable.

We’re looking forward to working together with these charities over the next year to help tackle these important issues early and support Kiwis and Australians to protect their long-term health and wellbeing.

Meet our 2022 Health Smart Partners: