Port of Newcastle employees lose 106kgs in 6 weeks

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Health and wellbeing challenge

As Newcastle is the largest coal exporting harbour in the world it requires an elite operations management and maintenance team. The Port of Newcastle
has over 2,100 vessel visits each year and requires a range of responsibilities from vessel scheduling to trade development. With a 24/7 responsibility
in the harbour the health and wellbeing of their employees is a key focus for the organisations to ensure around the clock safety.

With chronic disease and obesity on the rise across Australia, the Port of Newcastle asked Ethos Health to provide them with guidance and the tools to
launch a health program in 2016, with the first phase being the 6-week Rapid Weight Loss Challenge.

Over the 6-week challenge employees were weighed once a week and given a rapid weight loss kit to guide them throughout the program. Dr Trent Watson launched
the program with a Value of Health talk which set the tone for meaningful change.

Results

Overall, Port of Newcastle employees lost 106kgs making it an immensely successful health program. One in every three employees taking part in the Rapid
Challenge decreased their bodyweight by more than 5%. Research has shown that losing 5% body weight has significant health benefits that decrease health
risk factors of developing chronic diseases related to obesity. Those who took part in the challenge and lost 5%+ of your body weight have decreased
their risk of developing issues such as;

The top 10 participants managed to lose an outstanding average of 8.7% body weight over a 6 week period.

Congratulations to the winner of the Rapid Weight loss Challenge who lost an impressive 19.6kgs (15.3% bodyweight) over the 6-week challenge. Ethos Health is extremely proud of all employees that took part. The commitment
shown throughout the challenge was outstanding.

How did it work?

Ethos Health has recently helped the NSW Minerals Council launch and design the Blueprint for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in the NSW Mining
Industry. Within the Obesity Blueprint the framework below outlines the key strategies for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Though the Port
of Newcastle is indirectly linked to the mining industry a similar framework was applied.

A Framework of action – Addressing overweight and obesity in the NSW mineral industry

Learn More: Get access to the framework of action

What did Port of Newcastle think?

Following such a successful program we asked the Port of Newcastle team what they thought of the program and what learnings they could pass on to other
organisations.

“The feedback from our employees was that they loved the challenge. The tools that they were given were very useful – especially the online menus and exercise program (ClickFit). ”

Why do you think the program worked so well?

“The engagement and inclusion we received across all departments was fantastic. Along with the healthy eating kit, launch presentation and prizes we found all departments were heavily engaged. We also saw a number of family members participating which increased the drive of every individual. Overall the program was a fantastic success and we were overwhelmed by the results our organistion achieved over the 6-week challenge.”

Natasha Shaw WH&S Officer Port of Newcastle.

If you would like to know how the Rapid Weight Loss Challenge could work for your organisation please call us on 02 4962 8700 or check out our Rapid Weight Loss Challenge web page.