Impact, Awards and Media

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Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids has made a lasting impact on families and communities through innovative research, media recognition and community engagement. The program’s success has been widely recognised through numerous organisations entering collaborative partnerships for delivery, alongside receiving prestigious accolades including the national B/HERT Award for Best Community Engagement among Australian universities. Universities Australia also featured HDHK as a national case study in its University Impact Showcase, demonstrating how industry-university partnerships can create meaningful and lasting change.

Impact

    • Letter from father participating in Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids – Scottish Prisons (2023, 1st November) expressing how the program has improved the relationship with his son ‘you have really helped me and my son become father and son.’

    • Morgan, P.J., et al.  2014 publication in Preventive Medicine Journal was referenced in the policy document ‘Is sport enough? 2014 report card on physical activity for children and young people’ published by Active Healthy Kids Australia.

    • One of 18 programs selected across 11 NSW public universities in the NSW Research Engagement and Impact Showcase publication, launched by The Minister for Education at NSW Parliament House (2019).  The publication highlighted the contribution universities and their partners were making to the prosperity and well-being of the state and highlighted academic excellence and the translation of research into economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits for NSW and beyond. https://inspiringnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/NSWVCC_Research-Impact-NSW_2019.pdf (page 10)

    • Selected by Universities Australia, the peak body representing the Australian university sector, to feature as a case study in their National University Impact Showcase which promoted Industry-University partnerships (2018) https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/publication/clever-collaborations/ (page 34)

    • VicHealth’s Prevention Community Model described HDHK as an exemplar community program (2014).

    • Featured on MDLinx - ‘Impact of the ‘Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids’ lifestyle programme on the activity- and diet-related parenting practices of fathers and mothers’ (2014). MDLinx provides current updates on academic literature for physicians, it is one of the most highly trafficked physician portals in the US. https://www.mdlinx.com/journal-summaries/children-intervention-obesity-parenting-practices/2014/07/10/5378683/?spec=medical-student

    • Chosen as a case study for the University of Newcastle’s 2019 Australian Research Council Engagement and Impact Assessment. The strength of this application lead to a rating of ‘High’ in all three domains assessed (engagement, impact beyond academia, approach to impact). UoN were one of only four Australian universities to achieve this exceptional ranking in Education. https://www.newcastle.edu.au/research/stories/research-impact/healthy-dads-healthy-kids

Awards & Recognitions

We have won numerous national and international awards for benefitting society, improving health and wellbeing, research excellence and capability to form new global partnerships. This includes commendation by the World Health Organisation.

  • 2014 World Health Organisation’s Collaboration on Obesity Prevention’s Excellence for Excellence in Obesity Prevention Award - The World Health Organisation’s COOPs award recognised HDHK as the best community-based obesity prevention program in Australia. The award was bestowed to HDHK for demonstrating best practice, excellence and leadership in tackling obesity at a community scale.

    2010 Best Research Project in Public Health and Policy - at the International Congress on Obesity. This prize was awarded in recognition of the best poster in Public Health and Policy at the ICO. The award was shortlisted by an International Scientific Committee from a pool of 140 abstracts, with the final prize judged by keynote presenters and ICO peers.

  • 2015 Achievement in Quality Improvement - from the Hunter Children’s Research Fund Community Acknowledgement of Research Excellence (C.A.R.E) Awards in 2015.

    2014 Best Community Engagement Collaboration - Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids was recognised for the national award. The accolade comes from the Business/Higher Education Round Table. B/HERT Awards were established in 1998 to recognise outstanding achievement in collaboration between business and higher education in the fields of research & development and education & training. The objective of the program is to highlight at a national level the benefits of such collaboration and enhance links between industry and universities.

    2009 ASICS Medal Best Paper Overall - at the Australian Sports Medicine Federation Fellows Award. This major research prize recognises the best paper overall from those presented at the ASICS Be Active Conference (of Science and Medicine in Sport). In 2009, more than 500 research papers were considered for this award.

  • 2023 University of Newcastle HDR Excellence Awards - The HDR Community Engagement Award is awarded to a HDR student demonstrating excellence in collaboration and engagement with the community. PHD candidate Jake MacDonald won the award for the cultural adaptation process behind the development of biya yadha gudjagang yadha - Healthy Dads Healthy Mob.

    2020 University of Newcastle Faculty of Education & Arts Excellence Award for International Engagement - recognising Professor Philip Morgan’s contribution towards facilitating the faculty’s capability in forming new global partnerships through the HDHK program.

Partner with us today!

HDHK has been featured in several media outlets, showcasing the program’s success and highlighting the positive impact it has on families. Through these features, the program has gained recognition for its role in improving family health, strengthening relationships, and promoting active lifestyles. The media coverage has shared inspiring stories of fathers and children who have benefited from the program, reinforcing its value in fostering lifelong healthy habits.

Media