18 weeks prior to program• Make contact with prospective school or community group.• Organise a meeting with them, inviting the Principal, Deputy Principal, Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander support worker, local Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) support staff (Community Liaison Officer (CLS), health worker, or practice manager), community leader and/or program coordinator.

• Provide the school/community group with a program proposal*.

26-7 weeks prior to program• Hold meeting with school/community group, discussing details for program delivery such as:

• commencement date - times/school periods• number of sessions - 8 or 6 depending on the program• session time - 90 minutes, flexible• consent forms - must be completed by parents/guardians to participate in the program• number of participants - maximum of 30 per group• facilities available - need a classroom, technology, sporting fields/space• risk assessments• health check process - CLO to outline the process (if available).

3When program start date confirmed• Hand out relevant permission and new client forms.• Liaise with CLO, AMS and school/community group to book health checks

• discuss appropriate facility - at the school/community group, medical van (if available), AMS visit.

42 weeks prior to program• Receive consent forms from school contact

• Scan the consent part of the permission forms and save into a secure folder (school/organisation name)

• Hand the hard copies to the CLO or relevant AMS health worker. • Confirm availability of doctors, nurses and relevant health workers for the agreed dates and times of

health checks.• Input program commencement dates into register.• Input program dates, health checks, data (Survey Monkey), reports, and evaluation dates into work

calendar.• Invite relevant people from team to co-facilitate (if available and relevant).• Make car booking if needed.• Make contact with school to re-confirm start date, session dates, start and finish times.

51 week prior to program• Collect any outstanding permission forms and follow step 4.• Confirm with school/community group that no changes to program delivery are needed.• Confirm with CLO that no changes to health checks are needed and all participants’ eligibility has

been checked through Medicare.• Gather program resources - facilitator manual, attendance record, pre- and post- surveys, slides etc*.• Complete risk assessment*.

ESTABLISHING A DEADLY CHOICES PROGRAM

CHEAT SHEET• The Deadly Choices Healthy Lifestyle Program is a health

education and capacity development program.

• It aims to support students to be positive healthy role models and mentors for their family, peer group and community.

• The program is delivered in a flexible manner, across eight weeks, and addresses a range of topics: leadership, chronic disease, tobacco cessation, nutrition, physical activity, harmful substances, healthy relationships, and access to health services.

• It also includes a 715 health check to ensure participants are healthy and to ‘normalise’ the idea of seeing a doctor regularly.

• The program encourages participants to embrace their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity and further develop their understanding of their culture.

• Post-program surveys indicate that:• 100% of participants now eat breakfast more often• 57% increased their daily physical exercise• Smoking decreased by 14%• Participants are more likely to attend and engage at

school.

• Programs such as these are vital to help educate our mob to help close the gap.

• Education, culture, personal health practices, social support networks, and social environments are all important determinants of health which are addressed throughout the program.

FAST FACTS• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are almost

four times more likely than non-Indigenous Australians to have diabetes or pre-diabetes.

• 39% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 15 and over are daily smokers, compared to 14% of the general population.

• The Cardiovascular Disease death rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the 35-44 age group is eight times higher than non-Indigenous adults of the same age.