Rabbitohs Wellbeing Tackling Childhood Health Concerns Head on In Term 3
As we wrap up Term 3, the Rabbitohs Wellbeing program is proud to report another strong quarter engaging over 7000 students across 21 school visits, and delivering not one but two regional tours that reached over 5000 students across the Central Coast and North Coast regions.
These tours bring our 2025 regional program to a close, which this year connected with more than 13,000 students across regional communities. Reaching these areas remains central to our mission, as many young people outside metropolitan centres have limited access to health education or positive role models promoting wellbeing. By bringing the Rabbitohs message directly to these communities through interactive workshops, we help break down barriers and spark “lightbulb moments” where students feel empowered to take charge of their own health.
Luke Barry-Donnellan, Director of Wellbeing Mackillop Catholic College Warnervale.“The opportunity for our students to engage with the South Sydney brand while using rugby league as a vehicle to promote wellbeing was outstanding. From our school perspective, we saw an impressive 92% attendance rate across K-11. This is a pleasing result and shows the value of your presence in our community.”
These moments are all the more critical in a public health context where childhood physical inactivity and nutritional deficiencies remain pressing concerns. Recent surveillance in Australia highlights that while rates of severe micronutrient deficiencies have declined, challenges remain - iron deficiency is still one of the most common nutritional issues among children and adolescents, particularly affecting girls in their teenage years. At the same time, physical activity levels remain a concern, with only one in four Australian children meeting the national daily guidelines of at least 60 minutes of activity.
These patterns contribute to broader health risks, with almost one in four children aged 5 - 17 living with overweight or obesity, increasing their likelihood of poor metabolic health and chronic disease later in life.
The gap is even greater for young people in regional and remote communities, who often face limited access to nutrition education, fresh food, and organised sport - reinforcing the importance of programs that deliver health and wellbeing initiatives directly into these settings. By harnessing the powerful impact of the Rabbitohs profile, the program focuses on embedding health literacy, nutrition awareness, and movement-based education into school settings - especially in regional and underserved areas – and aims to bend the trajectory of these trends.
Erin Geddes, Health and Wellbeing Program Coordinator.“Workshops like Your Health: OWN IT! are vital amid current youth health trends, giving students practical, engaging lessons on eating well, moving more, and sleeping better. With Rabbitohs players sharing their own insights, we show that healthy habits matter both on and off the field.”
With the momentum from Term 3, we look ahead to continuing to empower students, build resilient communities, and contribute meaningfully to Australia’s broader public health challenges.
Our final spaces for term 4 are now open, please reach out to [email protected] to register your school.
