CHOOSE WATER HAWKE’S BAY

18th February 2015

Name of school principal

School

Address

Dear …………,

“Choose Water Hawke’s Bay ” is a group of Dental Health Professionals, backed by the local branch of the NZ Dental Association, who are very concerned about the negative impact that frequent consumption of Sugar Sweetened Beverages(SSBs) has on our population, but particularly on our school age children.

SSBs are associated with increased decay rates, which lead to avoidable tooth harm, (fillings and root fillings) and tooth loss. There is also well researched association between excessive sugar consumption and increased rates of diabetes and obesity.

The World Health Organisation currently recommends 3 tsp of sugar a day at most for children, and obviously these targets are hard to reach if cans of fizzy drink containing up to 10 tsp sugar, are included in our diet.

Locally the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board (HBDHB) has introduced a policy which excludes the sale of SSBs on HBDHB premises. We are asking schools to implement a policy which would remove all SSBs from the school environment, as a means of diminishing sugar consumption by students. We understand schools try in many ways to promote healthy behaviours for their pupils (eg exercise, drug and alcohol education). We feel removing SSB from the school environment is an easy way of helping to get the message across to students and their whanau that these drinks cause problems, whilst lessening the time children are exposed to the consequences of the frequent intake of SSB.

If your school already has such a policy in place, thank you, and congratulations.

If your school has not yet moved to such a policy, we would encourage you to consider adopting one of the enclosed policies as a method of adopting a SSB free school policy.

There are 2 options enclosed.

Policy 1, for optimal dental health, and Policy 2 for SSB free. We would encourage going straight to Policy 1 (a water/milk policy only), as there is less harm to teeth this way, but understand that there may be a need to change more gradually, depending on the starting point.

Or we would welcome the opportunity to provide an approximately 10 minute presentation to your Board of Trustees and/ or Principal, to encourage a policy change in this direction.

Thank you for contemplating this issue.

To facilitate this process, please could you return the attached very brief survey form in the provided envelope, so we can be informed of your current policy, your decision to utilise either of the enclosed templates for your school’s Healthy Beverage Policy, or your desire for a presentation.

At the end of this letter there are 3 links to information you may find useful in your decision making process.

We look forward to hearing from you very soon.

Yours sincerely

Choose Water Hawke’s Bay

Kelly Richards (Population Health Advisor), Louise Morrissey (Public Health Nutritionist)

Jo Dalrymple (Dental Therapist)

Tina Godbert, Raewyn O’Connor, David Kay, John Jukes,

(Dentists representing the Hawke’s Bay Branch of NZ Dental Association)

Why are we so concerned?

Year 8 stats – Tina to advise which data

Useful links:

Food Programme, Children’s Commissioner Feb 2014

Beverage Guidance Panel (NZBGP) Policy Brief June 2014

DHB Beverage Guidelines