Helping residents make SNAP decisions on health risks
19 April 2010
A trial canvassing the effectiveness of community health nursing to promote healthy lifestyle choices has been extended to give Hunter clients more time to participate.
Hunter New England Health community nursing staff and researchers from the University of NSW (UNSW) are conducting the SNAP trial across four locations in NSW, including Newcastle and the Lower Hunter.
The trial focuses on four lifestyle choices – Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical activity, or SNAP – that are estimated to account for 32 per cent of Australia’s total disease burden.
The trial is examining the effectiveness of community health nurses undertaking brief interventions around the SNAP lifestyle risks during their routine practice, and is funded by NSW Health as part of the Australian Better Health Initiative.
Research Fellow with UNSW’s Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, Dr Bibiana Chan, said the trial began in the Hunter last September and the recruitment period has been extended by several months to September this year.
“This is the first trial of its kind in Australia to involve community nurses to tackle lifestyle changes, which is critical to preventing and managing chronic conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke and cancers,” Dr Chan said.
“We hope to recruit about 180 Community Health clients in each target area to participate in the trial.
“We have reached the halfway mark for Newcastle and the Lower Hunter and we want to encourage residents who are receiving community nursing care to participate and help us to assess the efficacy of using community health nurses to help people make these very important lifestyle changes.”
Cessnock Community Health Centre Acting Nurse Unit Manager Megan Manning said all clients aged 30-80 years referred to a community nurse in participating areas were invited to take part in the study.
Nurses interviewed clients about their lifestyle habits and offered assistance to those interested in making positive changes.
“Community nurses see their clients regularly over a period of a few weeks or months, and they visit patients in their home which gives them access to people who may not be regular users of health services,” Ms Manning said.
“Clients seen by community nurses often include those with diabetes and other chronic diseases, who have much to benefit from lifestyle change.”
Phase two of the trial involving qualitative evaluation is also now underway. Nurse focus groups were held last month and the UNSW research team is also recruiting participants for an in-depth interview to talk about their experience with the SNAP interventions.
Contact: Frances Holz
Phone: 4939 2216