The Healthy Lifestyle Program is a family-based pilot program hosted by Child and Adolescent Community Health, in Western Australia. It supports children and young people aged 4–16 years and their families to make sustainable, healthy lifestyle changes. The multidisciplinary team includes Healthy Lifestyle Coordinators, Dietitians, an Exercise Physiologist, Psychologist, and Paediatricians, who provide comprehensive, evidence-based care that integrates physical, nutritional, and psychosocial wellbeing.
The program was co-designed with Aboriginal community members, Elders, and consumers with lived experience, ensuring cultural safety, accessibility, and continuous evolution through family and community feedback.
There are two key features embedded in the program. The first is the Healthy Lifestyle Check, a community/home-based screen that assesses growth, nutrition, physical activity, and related health indicators at baseline, six months, and twelve months. These checks guide tailored support and provide valuable outcome data.
Families then participate in weekly community-based group sessions (currently in Midvale and Armadale) over six months, focusing on fun, practical, and interactive learning for both children and caregivers. The sessions promote achievable, family-wide behaviour change through hands-on nutrition education, physical activity, and wellbeing strategies.
Since its launch, the program has welcomed over 110 families, with strong participation from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and those experiencing significant socioeconomic disadvantage.
Supported by research, the Healthy Lifestyle Program contributes to a growing evidence base for equitable, community-based approaches to paediatric weight management and prevention. Its collaborative design and holistic family-focused approach positions it as a feasible and equitable model for multidisciplinary, culturally responsive child health care in Western Australia.