Te Wero

 

Te Wero (Ngati Toa Hauora PHO, Matiu Rei and Capital Coast DHB)

Start date & duration:

Began June 2010 and there is currently no end date.

What is the programme trying to achieve:

The Te Wero program was targeted to a small group of local men with a focus on improving cardiovascular health, improving overall fitness and a change towards healthy lifestyle choices.

Who are the target population for this programme or service:

Originally men only (mainly Ngati Toa men from Takapuwahia Pa area).  However we now also run a Te Wero Wahine program and the Tane program has expanded to included men from other areas of Porirua.

What is the geographical coverage for this programme or service:

Mainly Maori men from the Porirua area.

Who can access it:

See above.

How did the programme come about:

We had been considering for a long time that there was a gap in our service when it came to delivering health services to men.  A local Ngati Toa man approached us, with the intention of assisting with getting the programme up and running and also recruiting local men he knew needed support to improve their health.

What approach is used for the service delivery:

We kept the key messages simple, starting with exercising 30 minutes a day and eating 5+ servings of fruit and vegetables daily.  On opening night, six men attended and a further eight men subsequently joined the group.  All of the men had cardiovascular risk assessments. The men had access to our gym two nights a week, as well as ongoing support through regular phone calls and text messages.  We arranged for guest speakers to come and talk to the group, including a local dietician to provide nutritional advice, and one of our male GPs who ran an open session where the men could ask health questions. We have also had a clinical psychologist speak about managing stress and have run a practical cooking demonstration.  After six months the men were re-screened to re-assess their cardiovascular risk and six monthly cholesterol screening.

What are the successes to date with the delivery of the service:

Fourteen men started this project and by December 2010, we had seven men committed to exercising 2-3 times a week in our gym. This group of seven has completed the six month Te Wero programme and had their final CVD risk assessments in December.  All of the men screened had reduced their CVD risk, with improved blood pressures, cholesterol and overall fitness and reduced weight and waist measurements.  They are all keen to continue with their regular exercise and dietary changes and they will be recruiting other men to start the new program in January.  We planned to continue to provide advice and support including monthly blood pressure checks

What are the measures of success for this programme:

Improved CVD awareness, improved blood pressure, reduced waist measurements, regular exercise, improved nutrition and increased understanding of positive health messages.

Has any evaluation of the service been undertaken?  If so, when and what was the outcome:

No formal evaluation has been undertaken yet.  Verbal feedback from the group has been positive.  We started a Te Wero Wahine group in January 2011 at the request of local wahine who wanted something similar to what the men had.

Who are the funders of this programme:

We received a small one-off payment through a HEHA projects contract through C&CDHB to help run the project, otherwise it was mainly funded through our Maori Community Health Contract (also with C&CDHB).