Associate Professor Phil Morgan from the University of Newcastle is developing world first, community-driven approaches to help reduce obesity.

Associate Professor Phil Morgan from the University of Newcastle is developing world first, community-driven approaches to help reduce obesity.

Associate Professor Phil Morgan from the University of Newcastle is developing world first, community-driven approaches to help reduce obesity.

Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids is a world-first community-driven approach to reducing obesity, one ofAustralia’s most pressing health problems. Associate Professor Morgan, one of the Hunter’s top researchers, leads this internationally significant program that teaches dads how to survive in today’s high calorie, low exercise environment. It recognises that fathers are role models to their children, and equips them with the knowledge and tools to improve their family’s quality of life.

Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids was successfully piloted in a University setting in Newcastle in 2009 and preliminary results indicate that the program was a great success.

In March 2010 Coal and Allied committed $524,453 to the project, enabling researchers to trial the program in a community setting (beginning in Singleton, before extending to Maitland, Cessnock, Sconeand Muswellbrook). If successfully, it could be rolled out nationally, improving the health of hundreds of thousands of people.