Background and Context:
The World Health Organization has long advocated for a settings based approach to achieve sustainable and effective health promotion outcomes 1. A settings based approach forms a critical part of contributing to a reduction in the one third of cancers that are preventable through a healthy lifestyle 2,3.
Aim:
Cancer Council Queensland has developed a sustainable cancer prevention program, QUEST, aimed at strengthening community action where Queenslanders live, work, play and learn 1. Through these actions, we will contribute to making healthy choices easy choices for 4.7 million Queenslanders.
Strategy/Tactics:
QUEST is an innovative,web-based, interactive program. It equips settings with resources to build healthy public policy, create supportive environments and develop personal skills within their organisations 4. Development was informed by the available evidence and consultation with peak industry bodies.The on-line tool allows for extensive data collection to inform continual program improvement, identification of future needs and measurement of public health activity across the state.
Programme/Policy Process:
In May 2014, QUEST was launched. QUEST allows Queensland workplaces, schools, childcare centres, sports clubs and local councils to register for free, select from a range of health strategies supported by over 300 resources, and track their progress. QUEST is also an acronym – Quit smoking, Understand your body and get checked, Eat healthily and drink less alcohol, Stay SunSmart every day and Take time to be active; these form the key health areas for groups to action.
Outcomes/What was learned:
This presentation will provide an overview of the development phase, participation in and early learnings from an innovative, on-line cancer prevention program. We believe findings will provide opportunities for translation in a variety of contexts.