'Swap it Don't Stop it'
The Australian Government has launched its ‘Swap it don’t stop it’ campaign – a call to make easy, small, healthier lifestyle choices to reduce the risk of illness and disease.
View by date:
Previous MinistersPDF printable version of 'Swap it Don't Stop it' (PDF 15 KB)
13 March 2011
The Commonwealth Government today launched its ‘Swap it don’t stop it’ campaign – a call to make easy, small, healthier lifestyle choices to reduce the risk of illness and disease.
‘Swap it don’t stop it’ features Eric, an animated blue balloon character, likeable but overweight.
On television, in print and on the radio, Eric will urge Australians to make some simple lifestyle changes to become healthier – for example, to swap big for small (portion control); swap often for sometimes (occasional treats); swap fried for fresh (nutritional quality); swap sitting for moving (physical activity); and swap watching for playing (physical activity).
“This campaign has a practical focus—following the awareness raised by the Measure Up Campaign—it encourages people to make practical choices in their everyday lives to improve their health,” said Ms Roxon.
“Losing weight doesn’t have to be hard—those little decisions made in the supermarket aisles, in the kitchen or when playing with the kids, can make a real difference.
“While the campaign urges all Australians to become ‘swappers,’ it is particularly directed at men and women 25-50 year olds with children.
“Some practical examples that the campaign encourages include swapping the escalators for the stairs or swapping white bread for wholegrain.
“The cost of obesity is not only a personal one but also a huge drain on the nation’s economy. In 2008 alone, obesity cost Australia a massive $58.2 billion.
“Obesity is the cause of almost one-quarter of type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis around one-fifth of cardiovascular disease and colorectal, breast, uterine and kidney cancer.
“The Australian Government has made a record investment in stopping preventable diseases including establishing the first Australian National Preventive Health Agency. The Agency will lead the fight against preventable diseases through targeting obesity, along with alcohol, tobacco and other substance abuse.
“‘Swap it don’t stop it’ is part of a concerted, comprehensive approach by this Government to provide unprecedented support to keep people healthy and out of hospital. This will improve the lives of
Australians and reduce the pressure on our health and hospital system.”
Further information on the campaign, including fact sheets, can be found at www.australia.gov.au/swapit
For more information, contact Ms Roxon’s Office: (02) 6277 7220
Help with accessing large documents
When accessing large documents (over 500 KB in size), it is recommended that the following procedure be used:
- Click the link with the RIGHT mouse button
- Choose "Save Target As.../Save Link As..." depending on your browser
- Select an appropriate folder on a local drive to place the downloaded file
Attempting to open large documents within the browser window (by left-clicking)
may inhibit your ability to continue browsing while the document is
opening and/or lead to system problems.
Help with accessing PDF documents
To view PDF (Portable Document Format) documents, you will need to have a PDF reader installed on your computer. A number of PDF readers are available through the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) Web Guide website.