The ‘Activate NT - MBF Healthy Lifestyle Challenge’ is a community driven 9 week program run annually in Palmerston and Darwin in the Northern Territory. The program has been running in Palmerston under the name ‘Palmlesstonnes’ since 2006 and in Darwin under the name ‘DarwinLite’ since 2008. In 2010 the program will run from the 12 April until the 13 June. General Practice Network NT partners with the City of Palmerston and Darwin City Council to co-ordinate Activate NT, with thanks to our Platinum sponsor MBF. Media partners Territory FM, Darwin and Palmerston Sun newspapers and Channel 9 support us to promote the program.

Activate NT brings people in the community together and supports them to achieve good health by making long-term changes to their lifestyle. This is achieved through the provision of education, support and opportunities to be more active, eat a healthy diet, drink alcohol responsibly and quit smoking.

The program includes over 20 free physical activity sessions each week, as well as special events, motivation and education sessions, and regular health checks for participants to monitor their progress. All sessions are run in a fun and friendly manner to support everyone to get involved. Download the full program for further details.

Registration is $40 for adults, $30 for concessions and for the first time this year $70 for two, so bring your partner or friend along too!

MBF and Mutual Community customers receive the special price of $30.  All prices include GST.

The registration bag contains a t-shirt, pedometer, cap, water bottle, frisbee, a full copy of the program and plenty of other useful information. Throughout Activate NT a weekly newsletter is distributed containing program updates as well as the most up-to-date advice on how to keep fit and well. Participants also have the chance to complete the interactive MBF Health Risk Assessment online health, fitness and lifestyle program.

The Activate NT Steps Challenge sees Darwin council wards facing off against Palmerston in a race to see who can accrue the greatest number of steps. The steps are measured on the pedometers received in the registration bags and participants enter their weekly steps total via the website. Each week the teams’ tally will be calculated and results posted on the Steps Challenge page of the website and in the weekly newsletters and the Darwin and Palmerston Suns.

In all, over 500 local residents have participated in the programs and collectively achieved over 750kg of weight loss with a 17m reduction in waist circumference. More than 25 participants have reduced their starting weight by over 5%, achieving significant health outcomes. Evaluation shows that at 6 months following the program 92% of participants that decreased weight have maintained or increased weight loss, and average physical activity levels for all participants remain above baseline. A number of participants also report having quit smoking and reduced alcohol intake.

A strong focus of Activate NT is sustainability, and connecting participants with pre-existing activities and groups in the community and creating more where there is a gap. The program has been able to achieve this with ongoing physical activity sessions self-managed by the community. Participants have formed walking groups, continued to hire personal trainers and train as a group and even started a volleyball team. Teams have also competed in local running events, and raised money for and entered the Cancer Councils ‘Relay for Life’ event.

Activate NT has also received local and national recognition. The ‘Palmlesstonnes’ MBF Healthy Lifestyle Challenge received a high commendation in the Kelloggs Heart Foundation Local Government Awards in 2006 and 2007, and forms part of the strategy implemented by the City of Palmerston to achieve recognition as a WHO Safer Community. In 2008 Palmlesstonnes received a high commendation in the Australian Governments National Awards for Local Government. The programs were one of two programs chosen in the Northern Territory to represent best practice in community obesity prevention for the national CO-OPs (Collaboration of community-based obesity prevention projects) consultations. A session on the programs was presented at the 2008 Australian General Practice Network Forum.
Activate NT won three local awards in 2009 including the Heart Foundation Local Government Award, Parks and Leisure NT Award and Chronic Disease Health Promotion/Program Delivery Awards.