EVALUATION REPORT Healthy Club Canteens Project

EVALUATION REPORT Healthy Club Canteens Project 1

Healthy Club Canteens Project 2008–2010

EVALUATION REPORT

LouisaCoppelandSophieBuchananTheBigPictureStrategicServicesSeptember,2010

Prepared for VicHealth by


Executive summary ..................................................................................................3Introduction ..............................................................................................................4 Originsoftheproject.......................................................................................................4 Projectstructure...............................................................................................................4 Projectmanagement.......................................................................................................4 Projectgoalsandoutputs...............................................................................................5 Stageone.................................................................................................................5 Stagetwo.................................................................................................................5Methodology .............................................................................................................6 Principlesandapproach...................................................................................................6 HealthyCanteensProgramFramework........................................................................6 Programoutline...............................................................................................................9 Research...........................................................................................................................10 Informationmanual.........................................................................................................11 DifferencesbetweenStageoneandStagetwo...........................................................11Participating clubs and leisure centres ......................................................................12 Evaluation approach .................................................................................................13 Meetingswithclubandleisurecentrestaffandvolunteers......................................13 Emailandphonecontactwithclubandleisurecentrestaffandvolunteers............13 Survey................................................................................................................................13Program design evaluation .......................................................................................14 Surveyresults...................................................................................................................14 Reasonsfortakingpart..........................................................................................14 Changesinattitude.................................................................................................14 Menuoptionsatstartofprogram.........................................................................14 Menuoptionsatendofprogram...........................................................................14 Achievementsagainstexpectations.....................................................................14 Successfactors........................................................................................................15 Barrierstochange....................................................................................................15 Valueofinformation,resourcesandsupport.......................................................15 Valueofactionplan.................................................................................................15 Amountofsupportoffered....................................................................................16 Increasingtherateofchange................................................................................16 Futureparticipation................................................................................................16 Othercomments.....................................................................................................16 Analysisofresults............................................................................................................17 Capitalisingongoodwillandwillingnesstochange............................................17 Changingattitudes.................................................................................................17 Improvingmenus....................................................................................................17 Offeringresourcesandsupport.............................................................................18 Offeringmoney........................................................................................................18 Overcomingbarriers................................................................................................18 Meetingneeds.........................................................................................................18Change evaluation.....................................................................................................19 Summaryofactionplans.......................................................................................19 Whatworked...........................................................................................................19 Whatdidn’twork.....................................................................................................20Conclusions ...............................................................................................................21 Criticalsuccessfactors.....................................................................................................21 Lesscriticalfactors..........................................................................................................21 Observations....................................................................................................................21Appendix One: survey of clubsAppendix Two: focus group discussion guideAppendix Three: Healthy Canteens workshop discussion guideAppendix Four: sample action planAppendix Five: club evaluation surveyAppendix Six: summary of change made by each club and leisure centreAppendix Seven: information kit content outline

Table of contents


TheHealthy Club Canteensprojectwasapilotprogramestablishedtoidentifywaysinwhichcommunitysportingclubscouldprovidearangeofhealthyfoodoptionsintheircanteensorfoodoutlets.

Theprojectspannedtwoyears,initiallywithsixclubsintwoLocalGovernmentAreas,thenexpandingtoseventeenclubsandfiveleisurecentresacrossfiveLocalGovernmentAreasinthesecondyear.

Itstemmedfromanunderstandingthatsportsclubsactivelypromoteoneofthekeydriversofgoodhealth–physicalactivity–andthatasasetting,communitysportingclubscanbeanimportantpartnerinotherpreventativehealthmeasures.

TheHealthy Club Canteensprojectworkedwithclubstounderstandtheopportunitiesandbarrierstoprovidinghealthyeatingoptions,andofferedresourcesandadvicetosupporttheminmakingchange.Itdidnotsetouttoeliminateallunhealthychoicesfromclubmenus,buttoincreasetheproportionofhealthyfoodchoicesavailabletoplayers,officialsandspectatorsatcommunitysport.

Thisdocumentoutlinestheapproachtakenoverthelifeoftheproject,andreportsontheoutcomes.

Inasnapshot,theprojectfoundthat

• Thereisawillingnesstomakechangeinmanyclubs–andwhenthatattitudeispresentinthe canteenmanagersignificantchangeispossible;

• Manyoftheparticipatingclubsnowseehealthyeatingasmoreimportantthanatthestartofthe project;

• Thereisquitelowunderstandinginmanyclubsaboutwhatishealthyandunhealthy,andclubs frequentlyunderestimatetheproportionofunhealthychoicesontheirmenus;

• Providingtherightinformationintherightformwasimportantinmakingchange-particularlythe developmentofdetailedactionplanstailoredtotheclub’scircumstances;

• Itispossibletoimprovetheproportionofhealthyfoodsofferedbyclubswithoutreducingcustomer demand,orsignificantlyincreasingtheworkloadforvolunteers.

• Anecdotally,itappearedthatincreasinghealthyoptionsdidnotadverselyaffectthefinancial viabilityofclubcanteens.

Arangeoftoolsandresourceswerecreatedthroughtheproject,includingaformatforactionplanning,surveys,andworkshopdiscussionguides.Theseareprovidedasappendiceswiththisreport.ThedetailedinformationkitisalsoavailableinPDFformasacompaniontothisreport.

Theclubsthatparticipatedshowedadefiniteinterestinsupportingpreventativehealthinterventions,andthisisbackedupbyrecentVicHealthattitudinalresearch.Howeverthereisheavyrelianceontheincomegeneratedfromtheircanteensandclubsareunlikelytoremovejunkfoodentirelyfromtheirmenuswithoutsomewayofreplacingthatincome.

InterventionsliketheHealthy Club Canteensprojectcandefinitelyassistinimprovingthehealthchoicesincommunityclubsuntilsuchtimeasthisfinancialbarriercanbeovercome.

Executive summary


Origins of the project

TheHealthy ClubCanteensprojectemergedfromVicHealth’sOfficial Supporterprogram.

Thissocialmarketingcampaignbeganin2004withstreetstencilscontainingquirkymessagespromotingwalking,cycling,activeplayandconnectionwithothersinlocalneighbourhoods.

Phase2oftheOfficial Supporterwasrolledoutin2007and2008.Thisphaseinvolveddeveloping,testing,distributingandevaluatingmarketingmaterialsincricket,football(soccer),AustralianRulesfootball,basketballandnetballclubenvironments.

Ineachcase,thematerialsproducedreflectedthetypeofclubbeingtargeted,highlightingthreeorfourhealthychoicesthatplayers,spectatorsandclubofficialscouldmake:includingalcoholconsumption,sunprotection,smoking,appropriatebehaviouronandoffthefield,andeatinghabits.

Evaluationofphasetwoindicatedthatclubswerekeentosupporttheirmemberstomakehealthyeatingchoices.However,italsorevealedthatclubsfeltconstrainedintheirabilitytoprovidethosechoicesbecauseoftime,cost,equipment,volunteerworkers’skillsandabilityandtheirperceptionsoftheexpectationsoftheircustomers(thatis,players,officialsandsupporters).

Thisledtoashiftinfocusfortheprogram–frominfluencingattitudinalandpromotingbehaviourchangethroughtheuseofmarketingmaterials,tocreatingdetailedinformationandsupportmaterialsthatwouldprovidea‘roadmap’forclubswantingtoofferhealthierfoodoptions.

ThatshiftbecametheHealthy Club Canteens project,whichwasdesignedtohighlighttherangeofhealthy,attractivechoicesthatcanteenscouldprovide,usingthetime,skillsandequipmenttheyhaveavailable.

Itfocusedonidentifyinghealthychoicesthatwouldbepopularwithcustomersandmaintaintheprofitmarginscanteensneedtoremainviable.

Project structure

TheHealthy Club Canteensprojectproceededintwostages.

Stage oneranoverthesummerof2008/2009.Itinvolvedsixsportsclubsacrosstwolocalgovernmentareas(SwanHillinthestate’snorth-west,andKingston,inMelbourne’ssouth-easternsuburbs).

Stage tworanfromwinter2009,wrappingupinJune2010.Thisstagewasexpandedtoincludethreefurtherlocalgovernmentareas:Boroondara(Melbourneeast),Hume(Melbournenorth)andBallarat(regionalcityincentralVictoria).Itinvolvedtheoriginalsixsportsclubsfromstageone,andaddedaleisurecentreineachofthefivemunicipalitiesandafurthertenclubs.

Project management

BothstagesoftheHealthy Club CanteensprojectweremanagedbyTheBigPictureStrategicServices.Thisprojectmanagementroleinvolved

• Designingtheprogram,includingresearchingtheexpectationsofclubsandleisurecentres.

• Researching,developinganddistributinginformationtosupporttheclubs’andleisurecentres’ participationintheproject.

• RecruitingclubsandleisurecentreswiththeassistanceofthecouncilineachLocalGovernment Area.

• Researchingthecurrentpracticesandattitudestowardshealthychoicesofeachclubandleisure centre.

Introduction


• Workingwitheachclubandleisurecentretoidentifypossiblechanges,andgainingtheiragreement aboutwhatchangeswouldbemade.

• Encouraging,supportingandfollowingupclubsandleisurecentresastheymadechange.

• Evaluatingthelevelofchangemadebyeachclubandleisurecentre,andthelevelofchange achievedacrosstheboard.

• Evaluatingtheeffectivenessoftheprogramdesign.

• Preparingthisfinalreport.

Project goals and outputs

Stage one

Aim: Toassistsportsclubstoprovidearangeofhealthyfoodoptionsintheircanteens(food outlets)ataffordableprices.

Outputs: Developmentofanagreedwork-planfortheproject.

Analysisoffoodoptionscurrentlyprovidedatsportsclubcanteensincludingrelevant literaturereport.

Identificationofhealthyoptions(easyandsuitableforpreparationandsale)whichpresenta reasonableprofitmargin.

Pilotofhealthyoptionsincanteensintwolocalcouncils(onemetropolitanandoneregional).

Developmentofinformationmaterialsforuseinarangeofclubsandsportingcodes.

Analysiscompletedandsummaryreportproduced(deliveredtoVicHealthinJuly2009).

Stage two

Aim: Toassistsportsclubsandleisurecentrestoprovidearangeofhealthyfoodoptionsintheir canteens(foodoutlets)atpricesthosecustomerscanafford,andthatalsodelivera reasonableprofittotheoutlet.

Outputs: Identificationofhealthyoptions(easyandsuitableforpreparationandsale)whichpresenta reasonableprofitmargin.

ReviewandupdateofHealthy Club Canteensinformationmaterials,incorporatinglearnings fromstageoneandaddressingthewidertargetaudienceofstageone.

Pilotofhealthyoptionsincanteensandleisurecentresacrossfivelocalgovernmentareas (Ballarat,Boroondara,Hume,Kingston,SwanHill).

Involvementof12newclubsandfiveleisurecentres,including:

ThreewinterclubsineachofSwanHill,Kingston,BallaratandBoroondara;

OneleisurecentreineachofSwanHill,Kingston,Boroondara,BallaratandHume.

Continuationofinvolvementofthe6clubsfromstageone.

Provideregularupdatestoabi-monthlymeetingoftheSteeringCommittee.

Analysiscompletedandreportproduced.


Principles and approach

Oneofthefirstactionsintheprojectwastoundertakedesktopresearchtobetterunderstandtheopportunitiestoinfluenceinasportingclubsetting.

Whiletherewasnopublisheddataabouthealthyfoodprogramsinsportsclubsettingsavailableatthetime,anumberofresearchreportsinformedtheframeworkdevelopedtoguidetheHealthy Club Canteensproject.

TheseincludedanevaluationreportofaprojectundertakenbyDeakinUniversitytoincreasehealthyoptionsinleisurecentres1,aliteraturereviewcommissionedbytheCityofKingston2andtheextensiveworkwithschoolcanteensundertakeninmostAustralianstates.

Healthy Canteens Program Framework

Key principles

Principle

Empowerment

Involve the community and facilitate local networking

Addressing the broader determinants of heath

Reducing social inequities and injustice

Practice

Usetools,information,guidanceandsupportratherthandirectinterventionsothatsportingclubsareempoweredtomaketheshifttoprovidinghealthierfoodoptionsintheircanteens.

Theprinciplesofcommunitybuildingwillbeusedthroughthisproject–harnessingcollectiveparticipationtocreatechange,encouragingthecreationoflocalsolutionstolocalproblems,creatingcapacityandengenderingownershipoftheprojectbysportingclubsinvolved.

Workdirectlywithsportingclubsthroughtheagencyoflocalcouncils.

Bringclubsofallsportstogetherintheirlocalarea,andsuggestopportunitiesforthemtoworktogethertoimprovetheprovisionofhealthieroptionsthroughtheircanteens.

Considerationwillalsobegiventodevelopinga‘healthyclubcanteencommittee’comprisingmultipleclubrepresentativesineachpilotarea.

Workwithinasportingenvironment,whichindicatesthatthetargetgroupalreadytakespartinsomephysicalactivity,toencourageotherhealth-promotingchoices,includinghealthyeating.

PilottheprojectinarangeofdifferentsupportingclubsinbothmetropolitanMelbourneandregionalVictoriainordertoimprovetheaccessofallVictorianstohealthyeatingmessagesandpractices.

1.Swinburn,B.andGleeson,E.Go For Your Life Healthy and Active Choices,WHOCollaboratingCentreforObesityPrevention,DeakinUniversity,August2008.2.Healthy Food Healthy Clubs,CityofKingston,January2008

Methodology


Facilitate inter-sectoral collaboration

Address underlying conditions as well as immediate needs

Involve good organisational learning and good management

Evaluate process, impacts, outcomes, participation and sustainability

Other guidelines and principles

Workwithcouncilsportsandrecreationstafftoincreasetheeffectivenessofthisprogram.

Ifpossible,collaboratewithotherservices,suchaslocalhealthproviders,toboosttheeffectivenessandsustainabilityoftheprogram.

Sportingclubsfrequentlyrelyoncanteenprofitstofundotherclubactivities.Thisneedmustbeconsideredandsupportedintherolloutoftheprogram.

Sportingclubsalsohavearoletoplayinencouragingpeopletolivehealthy,activelives,andprovidinghealthyalternativesatclubcanteensisakeyelementinthis.

Thedevelopmentofthisprojectwillbeguidedbyresearchintothemosteffectivewaysofencouraginghealthyeatingandhealthpromotiongenerally.

Thisprojectwillalsobeguidedbytheprojectstoencouragehealthyoptionsincanteens(includingschoolcanteens)inAustraliaandaroundtheworld.

Thisprojectputsastrongemphasisonevaluationandresearch.

Aswellasresearchintothebestwayofpromotinghealthyoptions,theprojectwillalsoentailin-depthprimaryresearch(includingasurveyandfocusgroups)withsportingclubs.

Thepilotwillbecontinuallyevaluatedandrefinedasitisrolledout,andwillbecarefullyevaluatedonceitiscomplete.

Ottawa CharterDeveloppersonalskillstoenableindividualstotakeinformedactionforhealth.

Strengthencommunityactionforhealth.

Createsupportiveenvironmentswherepeoplelive,workandplay,thatofferprotectionfrom threatstohealthandenablepeopletoleadhealthylives.

Buildpublichealthpolicyinallsectors,sothereisanexplicitconcernfortheachievementof populationhealthoutcomes.

Jakarta DeclarationPromotingsocialresponsibilitiesforhealth.

Increasinginvestmentsinhealthdevelopment.

Consolidatingandexpandingpartnershipsforhealth.

Increasingcommunitycapacityandempoweringtheindividual.

Securinganinfrastructureforhealthpromotion.

Principle Practice

Key principles


Approach

Principle

Policy-based

Supportive resources

Training and education

Promotional materials

Broad club involvement

Focus on club, not associations

Encouraging participation

Practice

Researchintothemosteffectivemethodsofencouraginghealthieroptionsinsportingclubsrevealsthatclubswithawrittenhealthyfoodpolicyaresignificantlymorelikelytoprovideatleastonehealthyfoodchoice…Clubsthataresupportedandprovidedwithsamplepoliciesandincentiveshavebeenfoundtobemostlikelytoadoptpolicychanges.

Thisprojectwillincludesupportandinformationtohelpdevelopandadopthealthyeatingpolicies.

Providingsupportiveresourcesincreasesthesuccessofprojectsthatfocusonpromotinghealthieroptions.

Aspartofthisproject,asuiteofinformationwhichincludesdetailedsuggestionsformakingtheshifttoahealthiermenu,willbedevelopedanddistributedtoclubs.

Goodtrainingandeducationisakeycomponentofsuccessfulhealthpromotioncampaigns.

Considerationwillbegiventodevelopingahalf-daytrainingandeducationworkshopforparticipantsinthepilot.Thisworkshopwouldlikelyfollowthestructureofthepilotmaterialsandinformation.

Uptakeofhealthyoptionscouldbeboostedbytheuseofgoodpromotionalmaterials,outliningboththeclub’shealthyeatingpolicyandtheoptionsavailable.

Promotionalmaterialsincludingletterstomembers,posters,samplemenusandpricelists,willbedevelopedforthisproject.

Suchprojectsweremorelikelytobesuccessfulinclubsthathadabroadlevelofsupportforhealthpromotionprinciples.

Thisprojectwillfulfilthatneedbyencouragingthemaincontactinclubs(suchasthecanteenmanager)toworkwiththebroaderclubcommitteetodevelopandimplementchangesandpolicies.

Researchindicatesthatsportingclubhealthpromotionismosteffectivewhentargeteddirectlyatclubs,ratherthanthroughtheagencyofsportingassociations.

Clubswillbedirectlytargetedinthisproject.

Evaluationconductedbyaprojecttocreatehealthyfootballstadiums3indicatesthatthefollowingapproacheshelptoencourageparticipation: makeaclearbusinesscaseinwhichtherearetangiblegains takea‘whatwecandoforyou’approach linkhealthyobjectiveswiththeclub’sobjectives uselanguagethattheclubsthemselvesuse,nothealthorbureaucraticlanguage investlotsoftimeinfacilitationandsupport,tohelpsustainresultsforthelongerterm highlightevidenceofgoodpracticetoprovidepracticalsupporttoclubs.

Theseapproacheswillbeadoptedasfaraspossibleinthisproject.

3.http://www.heartofmersey.org.uk/healthystadia


Program outline

When

August 2008

September – October 2008

November 2008

December 2008

January 2009

February – May 2009

June 2009

What

MeetingswithSwanHillandKingstoncouncilsDesktopresearchDevelopprogramframework

Onlineandtelephonesurveyofclubs(referAppendixOneforsurvey)Draftinginformationkit

FocusgroupswithclubsinKingstonandSwanHill(referAppendixTwoforfocusgroupdiscussionguide)Analysisofsurveysandfocusgroupfindings

CallforExpressionsofInteresttoparticipateinpilotprogram($1500grantoffered)Reviewandfinaliseinformationkit

Sixclubscontractedtoparticipateinpilot

Followupwithclubsforimplementationofprogram

Reviewandanalyseoutcomesofinitialpilot

Thefollowingtabledetailsthetimingofkeyactivitiesthroughbothstagesoftheproject.

STAGE ONE

When

July 2009

August 2009

September 2009

October 2009 - April 2010

May – July 2010

August – September 2010

What

ProjectextendedfortwelvemonthsMeetingswithHume,BoroondaraandBallaratCouncilsEngagementoftennewclubsandfiveleisurecentresforstagetwo

ReviewandinformationkitwithfeedbackfromStageOneclubsHealthyeatingworkshopsconductedwithcontractedclubsandleisurecentresinHume,BoroondaraandBallaratrefertoAppendixThreeforworkshopdiscussionguide)

Actionplansdevelopedforeachclub/leisurecentrefromworkshops(refertoAppendixFourforsampleactionplan)

Followupwithclubsandleisurecentresforimplementationofprogram

Evaluation(meetingsandsurvey)

Preparefinalreport

STAGE TWO


Research

CLUB SURVEYS

Oncethedesktopresearchtoinformtheprogramframeworkwascomplete,itbecameapparentthatweneededtobuildadeeperunderstandingofthecurrentsituationinlocalclubs.Thefocuswasongettingabetterunderstandingof:

• Howclubcanteensoperate

• Whatthey’reserving,what’spopularandwhat’sprofitable

• Demandsonvolunteers

• Whatwouldbeinvolvedinmakingachangetohealthiermenus.

InSeptember2008asurvey(seeAppendixOne)wasadministeredonline,whereclubcontactshademailcontactaddresses,andbytelephonewhereinternetaccesswasnoteasy(veryfewoftheruralclubswereabletoaccesstheonlinesurvey).

49respondentscompletedpartofthesurvey,with39completingallquestions.Thelowestresponsewastothequestionaboutfinances–ourlaterworkshowedthatdetailedfinancialanalysisisnotsomethingmanyclubshavereadyaccessto.

Clubsidentifiedthefollowingasthebiggestchallengestostockinghealthyfoodsas

• Buyingandstoringhealthyfoodincanteensthatmayonlyoperateonceortwiceamonth

• Currentdemandsonvolunteerlabour-howtointroducehealthierchoiceswithoutcreatingan additionalloadonvolunteers

• Howtointroduceandcreatedemandforhealthychoices–especiallyassomeoftheleasthealthy choicesarethemostpopularandprofitableitems

• Howtointroduceawiderrangeofhealthychoiceswhilemaintaining(orbetteryet,increasing)the currentprofitlevels.

Storage,budgeting,orderingandmenuselectionwereconsideredlessofachallenge.

Inreviewingthefoodstockedbyclubcanteens,nearlyallthemostcommonlystocked,mostprofitableandmostpopularfoodswere‘red’(i.e.lownutritionalvalue,highinsugar,fatand/orsalt).

Itwasalsoidentifiedthathealthyfoodsweremuchmorelikelytohavebeenlocallyproduced.

FOCUS GROUPS

Oncethesurveyswerecomplete,itwasimportanttotestthefindingswithclubsinmoredetail,communicateandvalidatethesurveyresults,andbuildastrongerinsightintohowclubcanteensoperate.

ClubswereinvitedtoparticipateinafocusgroupinbothLocalGovernmentAreasinearlyNovember2008.ThediscussionguideforthesefocusgroupscanbefoundatAppendixTwo.

Thediscussionsaffirmedthefindingsoftheresearch,andhighlightedsomedifferencesbetweenruralandmetropolitanclubs.

Intheruralfocusgroup,clubswereinitiallymoreresistanttotheideaofchange,butasdiscussionprogressed,begantoseeopportunitiesandshareideasaboutpossibleareasforchange.

Inthemetropolitanfocusgroupthereseemedtobemoreawarenessofthecapacityofclubstoinfluencehealthchoices,andadeeperunderstandingofwhatishealthyornothealthy.Ontheotherhand,theseparticipantsheldagreaterexpectationthatsomeone(council,stategovernmentetc)wouldmakethechangeorsupporttheminmakingchange.

Itwasclearfromthediscussionsattheworkshopsthattherewasahigheranxietythatcanteenincomewouldbenegativelyimpactedbyparticipationinahealthychoicespilotprogramthanhadbeen


identifiedinthesurvey.Thisfearwasaddressedbytheintroductionofagrantforparticipatingclubs,tooffsetanypossibleimpactontheirfinancialbottomline.

Theworkshopsalsohelpedtolaythegroundworkforparticipationinthepilotprogramandinfluencedthetoneandstyleoftheinformationmaterialsproducedtosupportclubs.

Information manual

TheHealthyEatinginformationkitwasacriticalresourcefortheproject,andavitalpartofthechangeprogram.

ItaddressedthepurposeofHealthy Club Canteensproject,introducedconceptsandguidelinesforhealthyeating,outlinedareaswherechangeispossible,providedtoolstohelpclubsmakeandmeasuretheirchange,andprovidedsomeinspirationwitharangeofhealthyrecipes.

Thestyleandtoneofthekitwasinviting,colourful,andcasual–anddeliberatelypitchedtowardsnon-professionalfoodservicevolunteers.

Differences between Stage one and Stage two

Whiletheprogramremainedfundamentallyunchanged,theprojectteamtookonboardsomeofthelessonsandobservationsfromthefirststagewhenrollingoutStagetwo.

• ItwasnotedthattheStageoneclubsthathadmademostsignificantchangetodatewerethose wherethecanteenmanagerwasengagedfromthebeginning.InStagetwowerequiredtheclubs togetendorsementand‘buyin’fromthecanteenmanageratthetimeofcontracting.

• PotentialStagetwoclubsandleisurecentreswereidentifiedbycouncils,ratherthangoingthrough thelongExpressionofInterestprocess.Whileclubsstillhadtheopportunitytoindicatea willingnesstoparticipate,thishelpedtofast-tracktheengagementprocess.

• InStageone,aftertheinitialmeetings,theclubswerelefttoexplorethecontentintheinformation kitandconsiderhowtheymightuseit.Wefoundthatthemajorityofclubsdidnotfullyreviewthe materialsorcompletethesuppliedworksheets.Itwasclearthatwhilethecontentwasultimately regardedasvaluable,the‘density’ofthematerialwaspossiblyabitintimidatingforsomeclubs.

Inthesecondphase,thiswasaddressedbyholdinganinitialworkshop,whichworkedthroughtheprinciplesofhealthyeating,completedtheworksheetsandstartedtheprocessofthinkingthroughtargetsfortheproportionofhealthy/unhealthyfoodsandwhatchangescouldpossiblybemade.

• Thefinalshiftinfocuswasthedevelopmentofclearactionplansfollowingtheseworkshop discussionsbytheprojectteam.Thisenabledustocreateanaspirationalplan,thatreflectedthe targetsandideasgeneratedbythemintheworkshopanddrewonourknowledgefromthe researchandpracticesofotherclubsandorganisations.(SeeAppendixFourforasampleaction plan.)

• Inthesecondphase,therewaslessdirectandface-to-facecontactwithclubs–thiswasprimarily becausetheactionplanningprocessreplacedtheneedformeetingsdesignedto‘nudge’along change.


Name Stage Code LGA Season Operational Structure frequency

AshburtonRecreationCentre 2 Leisurecentre Boroondara Yearround Daily Paidstaff

BallaratAquaticCentre 2 Leisurecentre Ballarat Yearround Daily Paidstaff

BallaratNetballAssociation 2 Netball Ballarat Yearround Upto4xweek Volunteers

BallaratRegionalAthleticsCentre 2 Athletics Ballarat Summer Upto2xweek Volunteers

BentleighGreensSoccerClub 1&2 Soccer Kingston Winter Upto2xweek Contractoperator

BroadmeadowsLeisureCentre 2 Leisurecentre Hume Yearround Daily Paidstaff

CamberwellLacrosseClub 2 Lacrosse Boroondara Winter Upto4xweek Volunteers

CarnegieUnitedCricketClub 1&2 Cricket Kingston Summer Upto2xfortnight Volunteers

ChelseaDistrictNetballAssoc. 1&2 Netball Kingston Yearround Upto2xweek Paidstaff

CheltenhamBaseballClub 2 Baseball Kingston Winter 3–4xweek Paidstaff

GreenvaleFootballClub 2 AFL Hume Winter Upto2xfortnight Volunteers

HumeUnitedSoccerClub 2 Soccer Hume Winter Upto2xfortnight Volunteers

MordiallocFootballClub 2 AFL Kingston Winter Upto3xweek Volunteers

NorthBalwynBaseballClub 2 Baseball Boroondara Winter Upto3xweek Volunteers

NyahNyahWestFootballClub 2 AFL SwanHill Winter Upto2xfortnight Volunteers

SwanHillBasketballCentre 2 Basketball SwanHill Yearround Upto4xweek Contractoperator

SwanHillBowlsClub 1&2 Bowls SwanHill Yearround Upto5xweek Volunteers

SwanHillJockeyClub 2 Horseracing SwanHill Yearround Monthly Contractoperator

SwanHillLeisureCentre 2 LeisureCentre SwanHill Yearround Daily Paidstaff

SwanHillLittleAthletics 1&2 Athletics SwanHill Summer Weekly Volunteers

SwanHillSpeedway 1&2 Motorracing SwanHill Summer Monthly Volunteers

Waves 2 Leisurecentre Kingston Yearround Daily Contractoperator

Participating clubs and leisure centres

NOTE:Ofthetwenty-twoclubsandleisurecentresinitiallyengagedintheprogram,fivewithdrewbecausetheir

circumstanceshadchangedorbecausethecanteenmanager/sdeclinedtoparticipate.


Theevaluationofthisprogramfocusedon

• Thelevelofchangeachievedbytheclubsasaresultoftheirparticipation

• Theeffectivenessofthedesignoftheprogramasobservedbytheclubsandleisurecentres involved.

Themethodsofcollectingdataareoutlinedbelow.

Meetings with club and leisure centre staff and volunteers

Tounderstandthelevelofchangeachievedthroughtheprogram,TheBigPictureStrategicServicesmetwithallclubsandleisurecentresatintervalsthroughtheprogram’slife.

Thesemeetingsinitiallyservedthepurposeofmaintainingcontactwithclubsandleisurecentres,andofferingthemguidanceoradvicewhererequired.

However,astheprogramprogressed,themeetingsfocusedmorestronglyonthechangebeingachieved,andopportunitiestomakefurtherchange.Theactionplansdevelopedatthestartoftheprogramwereusedtoguidethesediscussions.

Bythefinalmonthsoftheprogram,thesemeetingswerefocusingalmostexclusivelyonevaluatingthechangesmadebyclubsandleisurecentres.DuringvisitstoclubsandleisurecentresTheBigPicturewasalsoobservingoperationsinthecanteensandkitchens.ThesummaryofthechangesachievedisincludedatAppendixSix.

Email and phone contact with club and leisure centre staff and volunteers

Betweenmeetings,contactwithclubsandleisurecentreswasmaintainedbyemailandphone.Fromtimetotime,theseemailsandconversationsinvolvedspecificquestionsaboutactionsachieved,guidedbytheactionplans.

Survey

Theprimarytoolusedtocollectinformationontheeffectivenessoftheprogramdesignwasasurvey(attachedatAppendixFive).

Wherepossible,alinktothesurveywasemailedtoclubsandleisurecentres,whothenrespondedthroughtheSurveyMonkeyonlinetool.Thesurveywasalsoconductedoverthephoneorbymailwiththoseclubsthatwerenotinternetusers.

Everyclubthatcompletedtheprogramrespondedtothesurvey.Thesurveyresultsandanalysisareincludedinthefollowingsection.

Evaluation approach


Survey results

Reasons for taking partEachofthe17clubsandcentresthatcompletedtheprogramwereaskedwhytheytookpartintheprogram.

Ofthese,12indicatedthattheywantedtoincreasethehealthychoicesavailableintheircanteens.Afurtherthreeofferedcomments.

• ‘Wewantedtochangecertainaspectsinoureatinghabitsandatthesametimereceiveagrantto promoteourjuniors’.

• ‘Wewantedtoincreasethehealthyoptionsavailableinourcanteenandwewantedtoreceivethe grantfortakingpart’.

• ‘Thoughtitwouldbeagoodprocesstoseewhatwecouldimproveonandthatitwouldbe interesting.’

Onlyoneclubindicatedthattheyonlytookpartbecauseofthegrant–andinterestingly,thisclubwasoneofthemostsuccessfulinmakingchange.

Changes in attitudeThesurveyalsoaskedwhetherthecluborcentre’sattitudestowardshealthyeatinghadchangedasaresultoftheirinvolvementintheprogram.

Elevenindicatedthattheynowseehealthyeatingasmoreimportantthantheydidbefore.Afurthersixindicatedthattheystillbelievethathealthyeatingisimportant(thatis,thattheythoughtsobeforetheprogrambegan,andstillthinkso).

Twocommentswereoffered.

• ‘Weareexcitedaboutbeinginvolvedinpromotinghealthyeatingandtoassistinreducingobesity andimprovinghealthandwellbeing’.

• ‘Itishardtryingtoconvinceplayers’.

Menu options at start of program Almosthalfoftheclubsandcentres(8intotal)respondingtothesurveyindicatedthattheyoffered‘veryfew’healthychoicesbeforetheprogram.Afurtherthreesaidtheyofferedafairlyevenmixofhealthyandunhealthychoices.Bothoftheseresultsweresupportedbyourinitialanalysisoftheirmenus.

However,ofthefivethatrespondedthattheirmenusbeforetheprogramwere‘generallyhealthy,withafewunhealthychoices’,atleastthreeseemedtohaveunderestimatedthehighproportionofunhealthychoicesrevealedbyourinitialmenuanalysis.

Oneclubindicatedthattheirmenuwas‘veryunhealthy’beforetheprogrambegan.

Menu options at end of programOfthe17clubsandcentresthatfinishedtheprogram,11indicatedthattheynowhave‘morehealthychoicesandfewerunhealthychoices’.Afurtherfivebelievethattheynowhaveaboutthesamenumberofunhealthychoices,butmorehealthychoices.

Oneclubindicatedthattheynowhaveaboutthesamerangeofhealthychoices,butfewerunhealthyoptions.

Achievements against expectationsNineofthe17clubsandcentresindicatedthattheyachievedaboutwhattheyexpectedonjoiningtheprogram.Afurthersevensaidtheyachievedmorethantheyexpected,andonlyoneachievedlessthanexpected.

Program design evaluation


Success factorsEachclubandcentrewasaskedwhatfactorsweremosthelpfultotheminmakingchangethroughtheprogram.• 16selected‘havingaclearactionplantofollow’.• 14selected‘havinggoodinformationaboutwhathealthychoicesare’.• Nineselected‘understandingwhyhealthychoicesareagoodthingforourclub’.• Eightselected‘havingtheclubsupportoureffortstomakechange’.• Sixselected‘thewillingnessofourcustomerstobuyhealthychoices’.• Sixindicatedthat‘Thegrantmeantwedidn’thavetoworryaboutprofitwhilewemadechange’.

(NB:Thesenumbersdonotaddupto17,becauseclubscouldselectmultipleresponses).

Barriers to changeClubsandcentreswerealsoaskedtoindicatewhichfactorsmadeitmostdifficultforthemtomakechange(again,makingmultiplechoices).• Sevenindicatedthattheydidn’thave‘thestorageorpreparationspacetosupporthealthychoices’.• Fourindicatedthat‘customersdidn’tbuythehealthychoicesweoffered’.• Twoindicatedthat‘thechangeswemadereducedourprofits’.• Twoindicatedthattheyhad‘alotofstockofunhealthychoices’beforetheystarted.• Twoindicatedthat‘therewastoomuchworkinvolvedinmakingchange’.• Oneindicatedthattheydidn’tgetenoughinformationorsupportfromtheproject.• Oneindicatedthatakeypersonwithintheclubmadeitdifficulttomakechange.Somepeoplealsoofferedcommentsinresponsetothisquestion.• ‘Wehadnoproblemsinmakingchanges’.• ‘Wasn’tdifficultonlyhadtochangemyattitude’.• ‘Sofarithasnotbeendifficult’.• ‘[Theydidn’tbuy]ATFIRST’.• ‘Acombinationofpatronsstillwantingsomeoftheunhealthyoptionsandthehighercostsof purchasingandpreparingfreshfoodcreatedsomeboundaries’.

Value of information, resources and supportClubsandcentreswereaskedtoratethevalueofvariousformsofsupportprovidedtothemthroughtheprogram.(NB:Oneclubexitedthesurveyatthispoint.)• Sixteenoftheseventeenclubsandcentresindicatedthattheyfoundtheinitial workshopeither ‘helpful’(eightresponses)or‘veryhelpful’(eightclubs).• Sixteenoftheseventeensaidtheyfoundthe information kiteither‘helpful’(eightresponses)or ‘veryhelpful’(eightclubs).• Fourteenfoundthe tailored action plan‘helpful’(seven)or‘veryhelpful’(seven).Twofoundit neitherhelpfulnorunhelpful.• Elevenfoundtheface to face meetings‘veryhelpful’,andafurtherfourfoundthem‘helpful’.One foundthemneitherhelpfulnorunhelpful.• Eightfoundthephone supportoffered‘veryhelpful’,fivefoundit‘helpful’andthreefoundit neitherhelpfulnorunhelpful.Oneclubsofferedacommentinresponsetothisquestion:‘Fantasticpeopleonhandandgreatexplanation.’

Value of action planEachoftheclubsandcentreswasaskedwhethertheactionplancreatedforthemwasachievable,realisticandtailoredtotheirownsituation.Twelvesaiditwasbothachievableandrealistic,andfourdidn’tknow.Fourteensaiditwastailoredtotheirsituation,andtwodidn’tknow.


Oneclubnotedthat‘itisextremelydifficultwhensomepeopledon’tvaluethehealthyoptionschoice.Butifthat’sallthat’soffered–theirchoicesofrangeishealthyonly.’

Amount of support offeredEachrespondentwasaskedtoindicatewhetherTheBigPictureStrategicServicesofferedthemmoreorlesssupportthantheyneeded,orexactlytherightamount.

Fourteensaidthattheywereoffered‘exactlytherightamountofinformation,resourcesandcontact’.

Twosaidtheywereofferedmoreinformation,resourcesandcontactthantheyneeded.

Increasing the rate of changeClubsandcentreswereaskedtoindicatewhatmighthavehelpedthemmakemorechange,hadtheybeenavailable.Respondentscouldchoosemultipleitems.

• Fiveindicatedthattheymighthavemademorechangeifthey’dhadmoretime.

• Fiveindicatedthattheymighthavemademorechangeifthey’dhadmoresupportwithintheclub.

• Fourthoughtmoremoneymighthaveledtomorechange.

• Oneindicatedthattheywouldhavemademorechangewithmoredetailedinformation,both abouthowtomakechange,andaboutwhatchangecouldbemade4.

Fourpeopleofferedcommentsinresponsetothisquestion.

• ‘Moreconstantclienteleasallschoolsaredifferent’(fromaclubthatrentsitspremisesoutto schoolstouseforsportsdays,aswellasrunningclubactivities).

• ‘Wedidwellwithwhatwedid’.

• ‘AllwasOK’.

• ‘Newfacilityspaceandworkingenvironment’.

Future participationClubsandcentreswereaskedwhether,onthebasisoftheirexperienceofthisprogram,theywouldtakepartinasimilarprograminthefuture.

Fifteenofthesixteenrespondentstothisquestionsaidthattheydefinitelywould,andonesaidmaybe.

Fourcommentswerealsoreceivedforthisquestion.

• ‘TheprojecthasbeenexceptionalininitiatingchangebutIfeelthecontactpersonfortheclub shouldhavebeenthecanteencoordinator’.(NB:Thiscommentwasfromastage1club–the contactwasshiftedtothecanteencoordinatorinstage2).

• ‘Informationwasverygood’.

• ‘TheonlythingthatIfound,especiallyatfirst,wasthatIthoughtitwasalottoaskofvolunteers whorun/coordinatethecanteenasitwasmoreworkforthemasavolunteer.Icanseethatifyou arepreparedtohaveagoandbeopenmindedtherewardandnotjustin$$$$$$sensecanbe fulfilledandworththeextrabitoftimeandorganisation’.

• ‘Learningandgaininginformationfromprojectslikethistobettertheserviceswecanprovideour patronsandeducateourstaffishighlyvaluable.’

Other commentsFinally,clubsandcentreswereaskedwhethertheywantedtomakeanyfurthercommentontheprogramortheirinvolvement.Tendid.

• ‘Isgoodbutyouhavetofollowit.Isgoodforthehealthofthekids.’

• ‘Ifoundtheprojectwashelpfulandwehadpositivefeedbackfrommostofourmembers.’

• ‘AtfirstIthoughtitwaseasywaytomakemoneyfortheclubbutsoonrealisedthatwedidn’thave

4.Thisclubalsoindicatedthattheydidnothaveinformationorsupportfromtheprojecttomakechange,andisoneoftheclubsthatdidn’tknowwhethertheactionplanpreparedfortheclubwasachievable,realisticortailored.Therespondentfromthisclubalsoindicatedthattheyfoundtheworkshop,informationkit,actionplanandmeetingsprovidedthroughtheprogram‘helpful’.Interestingly,thisclubwasvisitedbytheprojectteammoretimesthananyotherclubintheprogram.


anyhealthychoicesforourcustomersandafterimplementingtheprogramIcouldseethatitwas warranted.Whowouldhavethoughtthatpeopleatspeedwaywouldeatcornandfruitsalad?????.’

• ‘Ourclubdoesnotoperatedonadailybasisasschoolsaremostlyonceperyear.Thereforedifferent scenarioeverydayschoolsattend.’

• ‘Thisprojectenabledustochangetheattitudesofthejuniorswhowouldnormallyhave hamburgersandchipsandcokestosandwichesandfruitdrinksandwaterandlessofthefatty foods.’

• ‘Weappreciatedthegrantandtheinformationthatwasfedtomyselfandrelayedtootherteam members.Peoplearebecomingacceptabletochange,ifhealthychoiceisallyouoffer,itmakes thingseasier.Wearestillworkingtowardsafullrangeofhealthychoices.Thingsaregettingbetter.’

• ‘Ithinkthisprojecthasagreatdealtoofferallsportingclubs–ourshadthebenefitofacanteen managerwhowasinvolvedwiththefoodindustryandfounditeasytochangethemodule.Other clubsrelytotallyonseveralvolunteerswhichwouldpossiblymeantheprojectshouldbetakento themratherthantheotherwayaround.Wehavehadagoodresponsefromparentsandeventhe oldermembers(30+)areenjoyingthesoupandsweetcorn.Thanksagain.’

• ‘Congratulationstoyouforyourpatienceandsupport.’

• ‘Theinformationwasreallyinterestinganduseful.’

• ‘Thankyouforthewellrunandeducationalinformationsessionatthestartoftheproject.Ineedto alsoextendmyapologiestoyouforconsistentlyrespondinglatetoyourrequests!Despitethisyou werestillverypatientandhelpful!.’

Analysis of results

Althoughthesamplegroupisrelativelysmall,theintensivenessanddetailedapproachoftheprogrammakesitpossibletodrawsomegeneralconclusionsfromthesurveyresults.

Capitalising on goodwill and willingness to changeBoththesurveyresultsandourownobservationsindicatethatthisprogramwastherightthingattherighttimefortheclubsandleisurecentresinvolved.Somehadalreadystartedtothinkaboutchangingtheirmenus–theprogrammerelygavethemthesupporttheyneededtodecidewhattodoandhowtodoit.

Thesurveyfeedbackalsorevealsthatclubs’andcentres’expectationsofwhattheycouldachieveweremet,andinmorethanathirdofcases,exceeded.

Changing attitudes Amajorityofthosethattookpart–11outof17–nowseehealthyeatingasmoreimportantthantheydidbefore.Mostoftheremainderalreadyvaluedtheimportanceofhealthyfoods.

Thiswouldindicatethattheprogramhasbeenhighlyeffectiveinchangingmindsets,albeitthroughanintensiveprogramthatreachesalimitednumberofpeopledirectly.

Furtherattitudechange,oratleastincreasedawareness,haslikelybeenachievedamongthepatronsandcustomersofthecanteensinvolvedintheprogram(althoughthishasnotbeenmeasured).

Improving menusAlthoughtheactualchangeachievedwillbeanalysedlaterinthisreportRefertoAppendixSix,theclub’sownperceptionisthattheyachievedagreatdeal.

Wheretheirperceptiondifferedfromouranalysis,ittendedtobeintherealmofwheretheystarted,ratherthanwheretheyfinished.Thatis,evenafterbeingshownthemenuanalysis,someclubscontinuedtounderestimatetheproportionofunhealthychoicesontheirmenus.


Offering resources and supportTheresponsesfromclubsandcentresclearlyhighlightthevalueofthreeoftheapproachesusedintheprogram:

• Theinformationkitprovidedtoclubswashighlyvaluedandregardedasveryhelpful.Thisis supportedbythestrongresponsesfromclubsaboutthevalueof‘havinggoodinformationabout whathealthychoicesare’and‘understandingwhyhealthychoicesareagoodthingforthisclub.

• Responsestothesurveyalsoratedtheinitialworkshophighly–andourownobservationwasthat theadditionofthisworkshopinthesecondstagewasakeysuccessfactorwiththeclubsand centresinallfiveLGAs.

• Finally,clubsclearlyappreciatedbeinggivenclear,tailoredadviceandguidanceonwhattochangein theformoftheactionplans.Everyonewhorespondedtothequestionsaidthattheyvalued‘having aclearactionplantofollow’,andtheactionplanwasratedashelpfulorveryhelpfulbyallbuttwo respondents.Twelveoutof16peoplewhorespondedtotherelevantquestionsaidthattheaction plansdevelopedwereachievableandrealistic,and14saidtheyweretailoredtotheirownsituation.

• Thefacetofacemeetingswerealsoseenashelpfulbytheclubsandcentres–andcertainly,our observationwasthatthebiggestchangesmadebyclubsandcentresgenerallyoccurredshortly afterwehadmetwiththem.

• Whileafewclubsindicatedthatmoretime,moneyorsupportwithintheclubmighthavehelped themmakefurtherchange,mostseemedsatisfiedwiththechangeachievedwithintheprogram’s parameters.

• Generally,theresponseofclubswouldseemtoindicatethatthedesignoftheprogram–plentyof informationatthestartbothinworkshopandwrittenform,regularbutnotoverlyfrequent meetings,andaclearactionplan–waseffectiveinsupportingthemtomakethechangesthey achieved.

Offering moneyAsonlythreeclubsindicatedthattheyjoinedtheprogramtogetthegrant(twothroughcomments),andonlyfourthoughttheymayhavemademorechangeiftheyhadhadmoremoney,itwouldseemthatdollarsarenotessentialtochange.

Overcoming barriersClearly,oneoftheprogram’sstrongestsuccesseswasinovercomingthebarrierstochangethatclubsandcentresperceivedbeforetheprogrambegan.Ourinitialresearch(conductedin2008)indicatedthatclubsinKingstonandSwanHillfeltthatthebiggestobstaclestochangingtheirmenuswouldbe

• Gettingcustomerstobuythem

• Therelativecostof(andprofitin)healthyoptions

• Storagespace

• Preparationtime.

Infact,veryfewoftheclubsandcentresinvolvedintheprogramindicatedthattheseissueshadinfactstronglylimitedtheirabilitytomakechanges.

Meeting needs15ofthe16clubsthatrespondedinfulltothesurveyindicatedthattheywouldtakepartinasimilarprogramagaininthefuture.Thisfindingclearlyunderscorestheprogram’seffectivenessineducating,informingandsupportingclubstomakechange.

Italsoamplydemonstratesthat,attheconclusionoftheprogram,everyclubthatrespondedcouldseethevalueoftakingpart.


Change evaluation

Summary of action plans

Thetablebelowsummarisestheactionplansthatwerecreatedforthe17clubsandcentresthatcompletedtheprogram.

Itcapturesinformationaboutwhatchangesclubsandcentreswereaskedtomake(suggestedcolumn),andwhatchangestheyultimatelymade(completedcolumn).

Action Suggested CompletedAddgreenoptions 17participants 16participants

Removeredoptions 16participants 15participants

Price 11participants 10participants

Replacered/orangeitemswithorange/greenequivalents 10participants 10participants

Changepreparationmethods/substituteingredients 10participants 9participants

Marketing 10participants 9participants

Addorangeoptions 9participants 8participants

Reduceportionsizes 6participants 6participants

Customerresearch 6participants 4participants

Policy 4participants 3participants

Removeorangeoptions 1participant 1participant

NB:Thistableisasummary.Inmanycases,clubsandcentreswereaskedtoremove,addorchangevariousitems,butonlyactually

changedoneortwo.Detailedactionplansandtheactualachievementsofeachclubandcentreareincluded(withidentifying

informationremoved)atAppendixSix.

What worked

Clearly,makingmenuchangeswasthemostcommonandmostsuccessfulofthechangessuggestedtotheclubsandcentresthroughtheactionplans.Suchrequestswereclear,simpleandrelativelystraightforwardtoimplement.

• Allclubsandcentreswereaskedtoaddsomegreenoptionstotheirmenus,andallbutonedidso.

• Sixteenofthe17participantswerealsoaskedtoremoveatleastoneredoptionfromtheirmenu, andallbutoneofthesemadethischange.

• Tenwereaskedtoreplaceredororangeitemswithorangeorgreen(respectively)alternativesor equivalents.

Replacingingredients(suchaschangingtolowfatmilkforcoffees)orchangingpreparationmethods(forexample,notautomaticallyaddingsalttofood,orshiftingfromfriedtosteameditems)wereusuallysuccessfulinimplementation.Again,thesechangesareeasytounderstandandrelativelysimpletoadopt.

Pricingwasanotherareainwhichitwaspossibletomadequick,effectivechanges.Makingthischangerequiredclubstounderstandthat


• Priceisastrongdriverofdemand–sohigherpriceditemsareslowertosellthanlowerpriced alternatives

• Cuttingthepricesofgreenfoodstobecompetitivewithredfoodshelpsdrivedemandforgreen foods

• Althoughdemandforredfoodsmightfallifpricesareraised,thedropinunitssoldisatleastpartly compensatedforbytheextramarginmadeoneachunit,andfurthermadeupbythecorresponding increaseinthesaleofgreenfoods.

Onceclubsunderstoodtheimpactofpriceonbothdemandandmargins,theyweregenerallyhappytomakechangestoprices–eitherincreasingthecostofredoptionsordecreasingthecostofgreenoptions,orboth.

Mostclubswerealsohappytomakesimplechangestobettermarketgreenoptionstotheircustomers–includingrearrangingdisplaysandfridges,addingmenuboardswiththetrafficlightsysteminplaceandcreatingsimplepostersoradvertisementsfornewlyaddedgreenitems.

Similarly,wherechangestoportionsizeswererecommended(suchasreplacinglargepacketsofchipswithsmallersizes),theyweregenerallyadopted.Insomecases,clubsandcentresoptedtoaddsmallersizesasanoptionwhilestillretainingthelargersize,sothatthecustomercouldmakeachoice.

What didn’t work

Lesssuccessfulweretheprogram’seffortstoencourageclubsandcentrestoundertakecustomerresearchorintroducepolicy.

Theseideasweresuggestedmorefrequentlyinstageoneofthepilot.Thelukewarmresponsereceivedfromclubsatthatpointreducedtheemphasisonthesetacticsinstagetwo.

Theseresultsaredisappointing,becausethebestpracticeresearchcompletedinstageoneclearlyindicatedthatchangeislikelytobemostsuccessfulandmostsustainablewhenitisbackedupwithorganisation-widepolicy,andstrongcustomersupport.

However,asmostofthatresearchfocusedoninterventionsintheeducationsetting,itcouldbethatthedifferenceliesinthetype oforganisationinvolved.

Althoughthereissomeevidencetosuggestthatclubsandcentresdohaveastrongsenseoftheirownagencyorauthorityinsomeareasofpractice–asevidencedbythegrowingnumberofclubsintroducingcodesofconduct,forexample–itmaybethattheyfeellessconfidentintheirauthoritytodictatehealthyeatingguidelinestotheirmembersorusers.

Furtherresearchintothevalueofpolicyandresearchinhealthyeatinginterventionsinsportssettingsmayuncoversomespecificreasonsforthis.

Thatsaid,researchandpolicywereonlytwoofelevengroupsoftacticsusedintheprogram–andastheresultsattest,theothersweresuccessfullyimplementedbyalargenumberofparticipants.


Critical success factors

Itiscertainlypossibletosignificantlyinfluencethekindsoffoodofferedinsportingclubcanteens.

Ourexperienceindicatesthatthemostimportantaspectstoeffectingchangewere

• ThewillingnessoftheCanteenManagertochangewhatareoftenlong-heldpracticesandtrynew things.

• Makingtherightinformationavailableintherightform.Awrittentoolkitisn’tenoughonitsown –theinteractiveworkshopanddetailedactionplanstailoredtotheclub’scircumstancesmadeabig differencetothelevelandpaceofchange.

Italsohelpedwhen

• Therewasbroadsupportforthechangewithintheclub–especiallyfromcommitteemembers.

• Changesweremadeearly–ifcanteenstaffweren’twillingtoadoptnewideasandapproachesearly intheprogram,itwasunlikelytheywoulddoitlateron.

• Theprogramteamwereabletorespondtothecircumstancesofeachclubindividuallyandableto considerinfluencessuchasvolunteeravailability,currentmenu,localsuppliers,andattitudesofthe committeeofmanagement.

Less critical factors

Lessimportanttothesuccessorlevelofchangeoftheprogramwas

• Whetherstaffwerepaidorvolunteers.

• Frequencyofoperation.

• Theincentiveprovidedbytheparticipationgrant(whileourinitialresearchsuggestedfearof impactingprofitwasabarrier,theevaluationsurveyindicatesthatthegrantwasnotacknowledged asthereasonforsigningupinthefirstplace,orindeedakeydriverofthechangeachieved).

• Whetherornotthecanteenmanagerwascynicalorscepticalaboutthepossibilitiesofchange–as longastheywerewillingtotrynewthings.

• Thestartingmenu(evenwhentheonly‘green’itemofferedatthebeginningbyacanteenwas water,changewaspossible).

• Thequantumofsupportornumberofmeetingswiththeprojectmanagers(theamountofcontact variedfromclubtoclubdependingontheirseason,frequencyandwillingnesstomeet,andyet14 outof17clubsfeltitwastherightamountofcontact).

Observations

Manyclubsoverstatedthehealthoftheirownmenuofferings–evenaftertheyhadcategorisedthemwiththetrafficlightsystem.

Evenamongstthosepeopleresponsibleforhandlingfoodregularly,understandingofwhatishealthyandwhatisnothealthyisverylow.

Clubstendto‘sellwhatthey’dalwayssold’unquestioninglyandrarelyinterrogatedtheirownofferingsorconsideredandresearchedalternatives–thiswouldsuggestanopportunitytodevelopa‘goodbuyingguide’similartothoseavailabletoschoolcanteens.

Conclusions


Clubsweremorelikelytoaddorremoveitems,orchangepricing,thantodomarketing,reduceportionsizesorintroducepolicies.

Theapproachadoptedinthisprojectwasnottoeliminateallunhealthyoptions.Thereisstillamarketforsomeunhealthyfoodoptions…andaclubthateliminatedall‘red’foodswoulddefinitelyseeanimpactonprofits.Customerexpectationsdictatethatbaseballclubsofferhotdogs,andfootballclubsoffermeatpies–butinthesecases,healthieringredientsorproducts,pricingandservingsizesmakeabigdifference.

Mostclubswereresponsiveratherthanproactive.Thechangesandalternativefoodsintroducedwereeitherexploredintheinitialworkshopsorsuggestedbytheprojectmanagers,ratherthanbeingproactivelyadoptedbytheclubsorcentres.Clubsandcentresalsorarelyinitiatedcontactwiththeprojectmanagers.

Therewasarealunwillingnesstoundertakecustomerresearchorpromotethechangetocustomers.

Theissueofstoringperishablefoodscontinuestobeamajorissueformanyclubs.Veryfewvolunteerorganisationshaveenoughrefrigeration–whichmaybesomethingthatcouldbeconsideredmorebycouncilswhenfacilitiesarebeingupgraded.

Thisprogrammadeadifferencetohowparticipantsperceivehealthyfood.Overallwefounditwasseenasmoreimportantbythoseinvolvedinservingit.

Ourbestopportunitytoinfluencechangeispriortotheseasonstarting,orjustasitstarts.Themostchangetendstooccurinthefirstcoupleofmonths,afterthatittendstosettleintobusinessasusual.

Someparticipantscommentedintheevaluationtheywouldhavemademorechangeiftheyhadmoretime.Ourobservationwasthatchangetendedtohappenearlythentaperoffthelongertheprogramcontinued.

1

Appendix Six: summary of change made by each club and leisure centre

Regional centre 1Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove up to 10 red items Done

Add two orange items Not done

Add up to 10 green items Done

Increase price of pies, pasties and sausage rolls relative to sandwiches Done

Improve display of green products Done (sales increased)

NotesAlso switched to low fat milk, and focusing more on wholegrain / wholemeal breads for sandwiches

Regional club 1Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove 12 red items Done

Add 4 orange items Done (six added)

Add 11 green items Four added

Increase prices of soft drinks relative to water Done

Increase prices of pies, pasties and sausage rolls relative to sandwiches Not done

Improve display of green products, especially drinks Done

Conduct customer survey before making changes Not done

NotesAlso switched to low fat milk, cheese and ham

Regional club 2Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove up to 30 red items 15 removed

Replace pies, pasties and sausage rolls with low fat, low salt items Done

Add seven green items Done (eight added)

Increase price of soft drinks relative to water Done

Increase price of pies, pasties and sausage rolls to sandwiches Done

Improve display and promotion of green items Done (sales increased)

Conduct customer survey before making changes Done (taste testing)

NotesAlso replaced 600ml soft drinks with 475ml

Appendix Six: summary of change made by each club and leisure centre

2

Metro centre 1Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove 35 red items 10 removed

Add 20 green items 10 added


Remove all larger serving sizes, where more than one size is offered Done

Switch from fried chicken nuggets to baked Not done

Switch from full fat to low fat milk Not done, but added

Review all red items baked on site and switch to healthy ingredients Done

Improve display and promotion of green items Done

NotesN/A

Metro centre 2Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove 20 red items Done

Remove 5 orange items Done

Introduce 5 green items Done

Switch from milkshakes to fruit-based smoothies with low fat milk Done

Replace 600ml soft drinks with 375ml Not done

Replace jumbo sausage roll with smaller, low fat, low salt variety Done

Replace 50g chips with 30g Not done, but added

Reduce price of water, relative to soft drink Done

Reduce price of green foods including sandwiches, salad and soup Not done

Increase price of chips, pies, pasties and sausage rolls relative to green items Done

Improve display and promotion of green items Done – sales increased

NotesPromoted healthy options to gym users and sales to that group have increased significantly. Have also introduced an ‘order only’ system in the evenings, so that no fried food is available after lunch.

Metro club 1Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove 5 red items Done

Add 3 orange items Done

Add 5 green items Done (nine added)

Switch from large to small chocolate bars Done

Switch from large to small fruit juices Not done

Switch to healthier hot dog option Not done

Switch from full fat to low fat milk Done

Increase price of soft drinks and fruit juice relative to water Not done

Increase price of hot chips relative to sandwiches Done

Improve promotion of green item Done

(colour coded menu)

NotesN/A

3

Metro club 2Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove 8 red items Five removed

Replace 1 red item with orange alternative Done

Add 2 orange items Not done

Add 14 green items 11 added

Switch to from full fat to low fat milk and dairy products Done

Increase price of hot dogs relative to green items Done

Price all newly added green items lower than red ones Done

Improve display and promotion of green items Not done

NotesN/A

Metro club 3Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove four red items Done

Add five green items Done


Switch from large to small chocolate bars Done

Reduce portion sizes of deep fried foods Done

Remove all larger serving sizes, where more than one size is offered Done

Stop salting food during cooking Done

Switch from full fat to low fat milk and dairy products Done

Promote newly added green items Done

NotesLow fat, low salt vegetarian pastie also added.

Metro club 4Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove five red items Done – eight removed

Add five orange items Three added

Add six green items Done

Reduce portion sizes of fried food Done

Switch from fried to steamed dim sims Done

Switch from full fat to low fat milk and dairy products Done

Increase price of soft drinks and fruit juice relative to water Done

Increase price of all red food relative to green alternatives Done

Survey customers about proposed changes Not done, but discussions held with club officials

NotesN/A

4

Metro club 5 Action plan recommendations Changes madeReduce ten red items Some – four removed

Add ten green items Done

Replace fried dim sims with steamed dim sims Steamed added but are still selling fried

Replace three soft drink lines with fruit juice Done

Replace full fat, salty ingredients with low fat, low salt alternatives Done

Reduce portion sizes of red foods Some (chocolate bars reduced in size)

Switch to heart smart frying oil Not done (cost)


NotesCanteen manager noted that customers still want ‘red’ foods available to them.

Metro club 6Action plan recommendations Changes madeAdd four green items Done

Remove three red items Done

Replace three soft drink lines with fruit juice Done

Replace full fat, salty ingredients with low fat, low salt alternatives Done


NotesN/A

Metro club 7Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove 30 red items Done

Add three orange items Done

Add seven green items Done


Replace fruit drinks with 100 per cent fruit juice Done

Switch from white bread to high-fibre, wholegrain and wholemeal Done

Remove 600ml soft drinks, leaving only smaller sizes Some removed


Adopt healthy eating policy for club Done

NotesClub notes that participation in program contributed directly to receiving $500,000 grant for upgrading the kitchen. Club has decided not to have deep fryer installed as part of the planned upgrade.

5

Metro club 8Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove five red items Not done

Add four green items Three added

Increase price of soft drinks relative to water Not done

Switch from full fat to low fat milk and dairy Done

Switch to ‘heart-smart’ oil for deep frying Not done

Adopt healthy eating policy for club Not done

NotesN/A

Rural centre 1Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove 13 red foods Done – 15 removed

Add five orange items Three added

Add 10 green items Done – 13 added

Reduce portion sizes of all confectionary, where possible Done


Remove pizzas from party list, and replace with toasted sandwiches Done

Switch from full fat to low fat milk and dairy Done


Display menu with traffic light indicators In progress

NotesN/A

Rural club 1Action plan recommendations Changes madeRemove three red items Done

Add eight green items Six added

Replace red iceblocks with orange or green alternatives Done

Replace fruit drinks with 100 per cent fruit juice Done

Offer healthy barbecue every time canteen operates Not done

Improve display and promotion of healthy items Done


NotesN/A

6

Rural club 2 Action plan recommendations Changes madeIntroduce new healthy menu items to rotate through season Done

Replace grilled burgers with low fat, low salt items Done

Switched from full fat, salty to low fat, low salt condiments and sauces Not done

Replace pies, pasties and sausage rolls with low fat, low salt items Not done



NotesChange to low fat, low salt pies etc not done due to club belief they were not available in area.

Rural club 3Action plan recommendations Changes madeAdd nine green items Done

Remove seven green items Done


Improve display of green items in fridge and bain marie Done

Display menu with traffic light indicators Done

Display posters promoting green products Done

Survey customers about proposed changes Done

NotesN/A

Documents

EVALUATION REPORT Healthy Club Canteens Project