EXPLANATORY STATEMENT FOR PUBLIC
Monash University Letterhead
Date
Dear User,
Project Title: Online Wellness Program (WOLP)
The investigators
My name is Azizah Omar and I am doing research towards a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) under the
supervision of Professor Mark L Wahlqvist (Director) and Dr Antigone Kouris (Research Fellow) of the
Asia Pacific Health and Nutrition Centre of Monash Asia Institute and Dr Gayle Savige (Senior
Training Officer) at the FAO Centre of Excellence at Monash University.
Background for WOLP
 Our lives today are very complex thus making it more difficult to achieve an overall feeling of
wellness". The definition for wellness includes many dimensions of our lives. To maintain health, all
dimensions of our lives need attention. If we invest too much of our energies in one or two of these
dimensions, the others will suffer, resulting in a decrease of our overall wellness. All dimensions
relate to and affect each other. For example, what happens at home often affects what happens at
work and vice versa.
 There are 6 wellness dimensions: 1. Social ; 2. Occupational ; 3. Spiritual ; 4. Physical ; 5.
Intellectual ; 6. Emotional
 It is important to create a balance between the 6 wellness dimensions. Each of these affects each
other and determines your overall wellness status. The goal of a wellness lifestyle is to continually
strive for both a balance between the dimensions as well as a high level of wellness in each
dimension.
 Through his experience as a physician and understanding of the scientific literature, Professor
Wahlqvist has identified small, but significant, dietary and lifestyle changes that one can make
simultaneously in order to improve sense of 'wellness' and minimise disease risk. He has called this
"lifestyle synergy" consisting of "small synergistic steps".
Aim of WOLP
 to bring to your attention aspects of your life which may be contributing to feelings of 'unwellness'
and to encourage the pursuit of wellness as a lifelong behaviour pattern.
We have designed WOLP to help the individual assessment taker become aware of different areas of
their
life
and
to
help
him
or
her
identify
the
areas
that
need
improvement.
This novel 6 week on-line wellness program, is the first of its kind on the web. Unlike other programs,
this program is more about motivating people to make positive changes to various aspects of their life
rather than just giving them information to read and leaving them to their own devices.
WOLP - who is it for, how much does it cost and confidentiality?
 If you are aged 18 and above and are not pregnant then you are eligible to join the program FREE
(except for the normal charges associated with making the Internet connection for surfing).
 Please remember that you do not need any specific skills in order to participate in this Wellness
Program.
 To motivate you to stick to the program, you will receive a FREE copy of the exercise video "Age
Active" on CD-rom and our Diet Assessment computer Program called "Food Web".
 Your participation in this program is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.
 All information collected will be kept confidential and will not identify you in anyway. You will be
identified by a code name and not by your real identity (name) to ensure anonymity. Findings from
the research project will be published on the Wellness Program website for your interest and will
reflect the combined results of all participants. Monash University research staff will be the only
people to have access to the information collected and, this information will be stored for five
years in accordance with university regulations.
How does WOLP work ?
WOLP runs for 6 weeks on the website http://www.healthyeatingclub.com which is managed by
Professor Wahlqvist and Dr Kouris.
Weekly activities and on-line quizzes
 Every week you will be asked to perform TWO activities (or synergistic steps) from the 'Physical'
domain (i.e diet and physical activity) and ONE 'activity from the other domain so that all 6 domains
are covered by the end of the 6 week program.
 This will help you: 1. increase your level of physical activity; 2. improve your diet 3. become of
aware of other aspects of your lifestyle which may be affecting your feelings of 'wellness'.
 These activities are simple, easy to follow and would take around 5 to 30 minutes of your time daily.
Some of the activities include listening to music, walking short distances, phoning and chatting to a
friend and eating healthy food.
 These activities will be assessed/monitored by an on-line quiz at the beginning and end of the week.
At the end of the week we would like you to provide us with some feedback by completing the quiz
on the Internet on how you went with these activities (that is whether you were able to complete all
three activities, and the frequency of the activities).
 A new list of activities will be issued each week and the program will run for a total of six weeks.
 WOLP will also provide the resources, 'reminders' and incentives (free CD "Age Active" and diet
assessment computer program) to help you stick to the weekly recommended lifestyle activities.
HEC will provide regular prompts of encouragment/reminders via emails to gently "nudge" you into
changing your behaviour.
On-line Research Questionnaires
 Week 1 of the program you are required to answer a questionnaire (~ 15 minutes) asking you some
general questions about yourself (for example, your age, occupation and health status).
 Week 3 and Week 6 you are required to answer questionnaires asking how you useful and helpful
you found the wellness program to be and, if you think it helps you to have better wellness.
 These questionnaires will take around 10 to 15 minutes of your time to complete. You do not have to
answer every question if you do not wish to do so.
How do I join WOLP?
If you are willing to participate in this program, please register yourself via the Internet by accessing
the www.healthyeatingclub.com website. If you wish to discuss any aspect of this research further or
need to have some details clarified please contact me (Azizah Omar) at the following address:
Monash Asia Institute
PO Box 11A, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
Phone (03) 9905 8145
Fax
(03) 9905 8146
Email: Azizah.Omar@med.monash.edu.au
Should you have a complaint concerning the manner in which this study being conducted, please do not
hesitate to contact The Standing Committee on Ethics in Research on Humans at the following
address:
The Secretary
The Standing Committee on Ethics in Research Involving Humans
PO Box No 3A, Monash University, Victoria 3800
Telephone (03) 9905 2052
Fax (03) 9905 1420Email: SCERH@adm.monash.edu.au
Thank you for your time.
Investigators
1. Professor Mark L Wahlqvist
AO, B.Med.Sc., M.D. (Adelaide), M.D. (Uppsala), FRACP, FAIFST, FAFPHM
Mark Wahlqvist is Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean for International Health & Development,
Director of the Asia Pacific Health & Nutrition Centre of the Monash Asia Institute and Chair of the
Food and Agriculture Organization Centre of Excellence at Monash University. He is the Director
of the Healthy Eating Healthy Living Program funded by the Victorian Health Promotion
Foundation. He was until recently the chairman of the Australian Nutrition Foundation (now
known as Nutrition Australia) and is the President of the International Union of Nutritional
Sciences. He has also been a Board member of the Australian and New Zealand Food Authority
since 1996, and is also Chairman of the Victorian Food Safety Council.
2. Dr Gayle Savige
Dip Teach., B.Sc., Grad Dip Diet., PhD
Gayle Savige is the senior training officer of the FAO Centre of Excellence at Monash University
and lecturer in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at Monash University.
She has been managed and coordinated a number of studies looking at health and well-being.
She is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and is secretary of the Victorian Branch of the Australian
Nutrition Society. Recently she co-authored a book (AGEFIT) with Mark Wahlqvist and others on
nutrition and health.