VicHealth - Home

Making prevention count

Effective health promotion has the capacity to improve health, reduce costs of treating chronic disease, enhance economic productivity, bridge the health divide between population groups and add healthy years to life expectancy.

Closing the gap

VicHealth seeks to address the differences in health status between groups of people, including a focus on closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Victorians.

Reducing smoking

Reducing smoking remains a high priority for VicHealth. The reason is simple: it’s one of the major causes of death and disease in Australia.

Improving nutrition

VicHealth promotes and invests in healthy eating as it is the cornerstone of physical health and mental wellbeing for every Victorian.

Reducing alcohol related harm

VicHealth’s focus on alcohol is based upon the philosophy of harm minimisation. Our strategy reaches beyond the traditional health sector, to areas such as law enforcement, market regulation, taxation and social marketing.

Increasing physical activity

Physical activity is ranked second only to tobacco control in being the most important factor in health promotion and disease prevention in Australia.

Reducing race-based discrimination and supporting diversity

Reducing race-based discrimination is important for health, the economy and social cohesion. VicHealth is working with key partners to explore ways of supporting diversity and reducing discrimination.

Preventing violence against women

Intimate partner violence is responsible for more ill-health and premature death in Victorian women under the age of 45 than any other of the well-known risk factors, including high blood pressure, obesity and smoking.

Fostering innovation

Health and wellbeing emerge from complex systems based on different forms of knowledge, such as clinical, social and organisational knowledge.

Reducing harm

Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. The cost to the health system is enormous. VicHealth invests in programs such as SunSmart to foster program development, research evaluation and advocacy in sun protection.

The Infant Program by VicHealth Research Fellow Dr Karen Campbell

In the lead up to Mother’s Day we have produced two videos about important research Dr Karen Campbell conducted with new mothers to establish healthy eating patterns. More

Man standing with arms crossed in supermarket aisle

VicHealth Letter: Healthy Environments

In this edition, we explore how our individual choices are influenced by built, social, natural and economic environments. More

More than just sport –PICSAR evaluation

‘More than just sport’ is a snapshot of the outcomes of the PICSAR program which funded 61 Victorian projects from 2007 to 2011. More

VicHealth - the first 25 years

VicHealth's inception in 1987 was a pioneering event. Since then, it has made a remarkable contribution to health promotion in Victoria and beyond. More

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13.05.2013

SunSmart urges Victorians to get more Vitamin ...

SunSmart, Osteoporosis Australia and Arthritis and Osteoporosis Victoria are joining together to raise awareness around the importance of vitamin D for healthy bones and in the prevention of osteoporosis.

13.05.2013

Australia-first preventing violence against women ...

Monash City Council today officially launched the Generating Equality and Respect program focusing on the prevention of violence against women.

08.05.2013

Talking Difference: The talking cure for racism ...

VicHealth and Museum Victoria have launched a fascinating online arts project to challenge racism in the community

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22.05.2013 Crikey Blogs

$100,000 is on the table for digital innovators ...

This looks like an interesting project, using digital connections to engage the wider community in developing innovative solutions to a public health problem.

20.05.2013 Monash Weekly

Forward step on domestic violence

CLAYTON is set to test a new domestic violence program that aims to break the cycle of abuse against women. Generating Equality and Respect is an Australian-first campaign of tested prevention programs that will be implemented across the community.

15.05.2013 Infoxchange Australia

Events and Activities - Consultation on VicHealth's ...

VicHealth is committed to promoting the health and wellbeing of all Victorians. To ensure an equitable health promotion approach, we have adapted and applied the work of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health to the Australian context, and ...

14.05.2013 Daily Life

What Cleveland tells us about the cycle of a ...

It's been just over a week since three women in Cleveland, Ohio, secured their escape after a decade in captivity, and details of the situation are still emerging.

14.05.2013 Maroondah Weekly

Art as a way out of grief

ARTISTS commonly refer to their craft as a release, an escape from reality. The overarching, healing effect that art has on both the artist and audience can be heightened in situations of grief and trauma.

13.05.2013 Rural Weekly

From little things big things do grow

LAST week I was in Melbourne attending VicHealth's Sowing the Seed information day at the Melbourne Convention Centre. VicHealth - the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation - is a semi-autonomous State Government agency, funded through alcohol and tobacco ...

10.05.2013 Australian Football League

Indigenous players recreate Winmar's stand

Newsletter RSS 2013 Indigenous Round TVC The AFL celebrates 20 years since Nicky Winmar's iconic gesture FOOTBALL changed when Nicky Winmar lifted his shirt, pointed at his skin and took a stand against racism in 1993, and 20 years on today's generation ...

10.05.2013 Sky News Australia

Abbott urged to ban alcohol ads

Western Australia's Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan has urged Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to consider banning alcohol advertising during live sporting broadcasts.

09.05.2013 ABC [World Today]

Museum experiment calls for racist views

Victoria's Immigration Museum is conducting a groundbreaking survey of cultural identity. Its asking all Australians to contribute their views online to questions about issues like racial equality, asylum seekers and even Australia Day. The program began ...

07.05.2013 Australian Policy Online

Growing out versus filling in: how about we all ...

Chris Ives, Cecily Maller | The Conversation HTML Growing out versus filling in: how about we all grow up? Growing out versus filling in: how about we all grow up? By Chris Ives, RMIT University and Cecily Maller, RMIT University It’s a debate that’s ...

07.05.2013 Netball Victoria

VicHealth supports Victorian netball clubs

Forty-two Victorian netball clubs were recently awarded grants from the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) as part of the Active Club Grants Program.

29.04.2013 Monash Weekly

Closing the health gap, slowly

Ailing health in remote indigenous communities has been a national concern. But on our doorsteps, an Aboriginal co-operative is trying to reverse a set of sick looking statistics.

29.04.2013 ABC [Lateline]

'Big Food' copying 'Big Tobacco'

Pulitzer prize winning journalist and author Michael Moss discusses his book 'Sugar, Salt, Fat' and how food manufacturers have managed to get us hooked on their products.

29.04.2013 The Age - AFL

Call for AFL booze ad ban

Health groups have called for a ban on alcohol advertising during televised sport, after new research revealed up to a fifth of last year's AFL and NRL grand final broadcasts featured alcohol promotions.

25.04.2013 Latrobe Valley Express

Reviving a smashing sport

THE sport that time forgot, squash, is set for a female fight-back at Morwell Squash and Fitness centre. Previously the second biggest sport in Australia behind netball, squash participation has declined in recent years, but a new 'Hits and Giggles' program ...