24 September 2009
Queensland Government grants CHIP
Toowoomba, Queensland
Melody Tan
The Queensland Government and other agencies have contributed more than $A45,000 to Adventist churches in Toowoomba and Laidley to run Coronary Health Improvement Projects (CHIP) in local communities.
CHIP, founded by Dr Hans Diehl, teaches participants how to reduce coronary artery disease risk through improving health habits and appropriate lifestyle changes.
Government agencies funding CHIP include the West Moreton Division of General Practitioners, Queensland Health, the University of Queensland and the Department of Sport and Recreation.
Church members in Toowoomba and Laidley have already conducted three projects to 87 participants since June. Each project runs for two hours a day, four days a week for four weeks, with support materials available on DVD. The projects were directed by Gavin Dagg from Laidley church.
A fourth project with more than 30 participants commenced on August 14 at Toowoomba TAFE, a premises that was loaned to the Adventist Church free to use for CHIP programs. Directors for the Toowoomba program are Stan Starkey, Scott and Kathy Stevenson, and Mark Haslam, as well as volunteers from local Adventist churches.
Melinda Archer and Diane Butcher running the cooking demonstrations for the CHIP program at Toowoomba TAFE.
"God has led and continues to lead in this process," says Mr Haslam, a member of Toowoomba Central church.
The success of the project has also encouraged Mr Haslam to apply for a national research grant to run CHIPs.
"What I really need now is for anyone who has run CHIP in Australia to forward their data from the program to me," says Mr Haslam. "We are going to put the data together for discussion in a paper that will help with a national research grant application."
Church members who have conducted CHIPs in Australia can forward their data to Professor Esther Chang. Professor Chang is the president of the Lifestyle Medicine Institute of Australia, which is affiliated with CHIP.
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