Increased energy and vitality is one of the spin-offs of regular exercise and this exuberance was indeed tangible at the Walk4Health awards evening held at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA) on 25 November 2013. Amidst cheers of support and admiration - the Department of Local Government received top honours as the winning team in the Walk4Health challenge; with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport in second place and the Department of Education in third place.
The Western Cape’s Walk4Health pilot challenge, to promote healthy lifestyles in the province through increased physical activity and healthy eating, came to an end on 15 November 2013.
Western Cape Government Health donated R5 000 for every participating government team to a Walk4Health charity fund. The departmental teams each nominated a charity of their choice to whom the fund will be donated should their team win. Since Rape Crisis was the charity nominated by the Department of Local Government - they received R65 000. As SSISA’s brand ambassador and MC for the evening, the charismatic Africa Melane pointed out: “Today is the start of the 16 days of campaigning for an end to violence against women – so there couldn’t be a more worthy recipient of this donation.”
Other category prize winners:
The pilot project was endorsed by the Provincial Cabinet and entailed a 6-week interdepartmental pedometer challenge, which started on 4 October, involving all departments within Western Cape Government. Each of these departments were represented by a four-member team; comprising the Premier or the respective minister, head of department or senior manager, an employee and an intern.
Prior to the start of the challenge, each participant completed a confidential health and physical assessment. The assessment included Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), cholesterol, blood glucose resting pulse and a 12-minute motion test conducted by experts at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA). Based on the results, the SSISA experts prescribed individualised weekly steps targets for each team member, which was stretched incrementally every week during the challenge.
Team members were also provided with pedometers to wear on a daily basis to count their steps and help them achieve their respective personalised step targets. The readings were recorded and points awarded accordingly - one point was awarded when reaching a personal target and a bonus point was granted when adequately stretching beyond the target.
A confidential post-challenge health and physical assessment was conducted by the SSISA experts – so giving each participant an updated health profile on the e|Care portal and determining the category winners.
In his message to the audience, the Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, said: “Preventable diseases are the majority cause of death of our people in the Western Cape. That is why we have to change from an ill society to a well society. That is what we mean when we talk of creating wellness. The participation of the provincial cabinet in the Walk4Health Challenge demonstrates our commitment to this objective.”
A recent Western Cape Government Health report shows that the top ten causes of mortality in the Western Cape are:
“These diseases account for 21% of deaths in the province. It is really important to take the Walk4Health message to heart and take a walk, if at all possible.”
Additional Information:
Angelique Jordaan
Communications Officer: Head Office
Western Cape Government Health
Tel: 021 483 3563
E-mail: Angelique.Jordaan@westerncape.gov.za