Make Your Move: Greater Dandenong Physical Activity Strategy 2020-2030

The health and wellbeing of our residents is always at the forefront of the work Council carries out. The Make Your Move Physical Activity Strategy 2020-2030 is designed to help us give our community the tools needed to live a more active, and healthy lifestyle. Through this strategy Council will identify opportunities to improve the health and wellbeing of our community by empowering them to be more active. Less than half of Greater Dandenong’s residents meet Australian physical activity guidelines (49 per cent). This is much lower than the Victorian average of 73 per cent. We know there are many barriers to an active lifestyle, including environmental, financial and personal factors. While this strategic plan is for our whole community the main focus is on helping the less active members to move more. Extensive community consultation has provided us with a clear snapshot of the challenges facing our residents when it comes to health and activity levels, and we will use this knowledge to help remove those barriers where we can. Council’s long-term vision is to create a happier and healthier community. Council will be promoting the importance and benefit of physical activity as part of its Make Your Move Campaign. The aim of this campaign is to create more opportunities for people to get active and to provide environments that encourage increased recreational activity. Staying active is proven to have long-term health benefits, Physical exercise can assist in reducing the risk of obesity -related illness, diabetes and cardio-vascular disease. We also know the younger you are when you introduce an active lifestyle, the greater the chance of seeing lifelong health benefits. The Make Your Move Physical Activity Strategy provides a road map to creating a healthier and more active community. It guides our community in making better decisions and empowers them to take more control over their overall health and wellbeing. Council believes working collaboratively achieves the best results. This strategy provides a clear direction on where we are at and where we need to be to ensure better health outcomes for our community.