27 August 2025
With spring just around the corner, many of us are thinking about eating better or moving more. Yet while most of us know what we should do to be healthier, putting it into practice is often the hardest part.
Now, Healthy Choices – a new student-led health and wellbeing program from the University of South Australia – is helping people set their health goals and stick to them.
Healthy Choices is a free, research-based community health coaching program that’s driving real change for people with, or at risk of, chronic health conditions – including diabetes, mental health disorders, asthma, and heart disease.
Created in partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charles Sturt Council and the North-West Adelaide Health Study, and funded by the Medical Research Future Fund, Healthy Choices is unique in that it supports people’s social and mental health goals, as well as their physical health.
Lead researcher, UniSA’s Prof Susan Hillier, says Healthy Choices aims to tackle the prevalence and persistence of chronic and complex diseases in Australia.
“We’re facing an epidemic of chronic conditions that our health system is struggling to manage – from long waiting lists and hospital ramping to the difficulty of seeing a GP,” Prof Hillier says.
“Yet because most chronic conditions are preventable, making sustainable health and lifestyle changes could dramatically reduce both disease risk and the burden on the system.
“The trouble is, while people may know what they should do to be healthier and happier, they often don’t have the knowledge, support or tools to make positive changes.
“This is where Healthy Choices comes in. As a student-led health and wellbeing coaching program, we work with participants to identify and meet their health goals so they can better manage their health conditions.
“And while you might assume that most health goals are physical or nutrition-based, Healthy Choices delivers far more than this. Our team is just as likely to be helping one person join a Men’s Shed, as coaching another to cut back on late-night snacking.
“It all depends on the health and wellbeing needs of the individual.”
The program’s diverse health goals have included joining a community group, sleeping better, managing stress, drinking more water, decluttering, adopting a Mediterranean diet, reducing snacking, increasing physical activity, and navigating health and care services.
Already more than 150 people have enrolled in Health Choices, with nearly all successfully achieving their goals.
Co-researcher, UniSA’s Dr Caroline Fryer, says the relationship between participants and students is central to the program’s success.
“Participants benefit from the genuine interest students show in their goals and, at the same time, students gain valuable experience which builds both confidence and expertise for their future roles as health professionals,” Dr Fryer says.
“Over the course of the program, this connection and accountability is helping participants strengthen their capacity for self-management – and we’re seeing it deliver real results.
“Healthy Choices empowers people to take charge of their health and change their lifestyle habits for the better.”
The Healthy Choices program is currently undertaking a third and final trial with members of the community. To check your suitability and register your interest, please visit: unisa.edu.au/connect/Community-Engagement/healthy-choices-program/
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Contacts for interview: Prof Susan Hillier E: Susan.Hillier@unisa.edu.au
Dr Caroline Fryer E: Caroline.Fryer@unisa.edu.au
Media contact: Annabel Mansfield M: +61 E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au
