Olympian urges indigenous families to “slam dunk” fruit and vegetables in new Go for 2 & 5 campaign

Australian Opals basketballer Rohanee Cox has banded together with the Bligh Government to encourage indigenous families to “slam dunk” fruit and vegetables each mealtime.

The Beijing Olympics silver medallist will be the face of Queensland Health’s latest Go for 2 & 5 campaign, launched by Health Minister Stephen Robertson in Townsville today.

The new campaign, launched during Community Cabinet in Townsville, encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders to eat two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables each day.

Mr Robertson said the campaign was part of the Bligh Government’s Toward Q2 strategy to make Queenslanders Australia’s healthiest people.

“This is just one of several initiatives in place to encourage people to change their lifestyle by eating more fruit and vegetables, and get more physically active,” he said.

“There is overwhelming evidence that people who regularly eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables are at substantially lower risks of a range of chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and several major cancers.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are particularly at risk from chronic disease. They are more likely to develop diabetes and have a life expectancy 13 years lower than that of other Australians.

“That’s why this new campaign, which complements the existing statewide Go for 2 & 5 campaign, is so important. It’s part of our strategy to close the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Queenslanders.”

Rohanee Cox, a 29-year-old Townsville Fire guard selected as Women’s National Basketball League “Player of the Month” for the past two months, knows the importance of eating healthy food.

“Having a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables helps maintain my energy levels and helps me back up after tough games,” Rohanee said.

“Eating more fruit and vegetables and bush tucker will help guard you and your family against diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers.”

Mr Robertson said Rohanee Cox would feature in television advertisements to appear on Imparja, as well as in print and radio messages.

“As a high achieving sports star with a young daughter of her own, Rohanee Cox is a strong role model for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Mr Robertson said.

“Her involvement in this important new campaign will help to deliver better health outcomes for indigenous Queenslanders.”

Mr Robertson also launched the fourth phase of the successful Go for 2 & 5 campaign in Townsville.

“Research shows the statewide Go for 2 & 5 campaign has helped increase Queenslanders’ consumption of fruit and vegetables by almost one serve per day,” he said.

“This represents an estimated annual health care saving of $35 million in relation to cancer and cardiovascular disease alone.

“But we’re not resting on our laurels, which is why we’re launching a new round of TV ads today showing another ‘vegie-man’ character, based on the personality of Australian entertainer Rolf Harris.

“His main message will be to remind Queenslanders how much better we will feel eating more fruit and vegetables, and how easy it is to include these in our daily diet.”

The “Rolf” ads will appear in a series of 15-second and 30-second television advertisements scheduled to air from today.

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