Basketball is the avenue for the Hoops 4 Health Aboriginal Corporation to deliver its programs and lifestyle messages. However the Hoops 4 Health Program is much more than just a basketball clinic.

A grant through the Department of Health and Ageing's Local Community Campaigns Program enables the Hoops 4 Health Aboriginal Corporation to implement its "Live Longer Program". This program emphasises what Governments, health care workers and policy makers have been saying for the past 15 years in that more health promotion, health education and lifestyle programs is needed to address the future health needs of Australia.

The "Live Longer" Program addresses and educates young people about the risks associated with chronic disease later in life.

To measure the success and needs for improvements in our programs, Hoops 4 Health Board Member Nikki Butler developed "the Key to Good Health". This tool is used for the evaluation of all Hoops 4 Health Live Longer Programs. It is a simple resource that identifies what the young people have learnt and how we can better programs.

"This evaluation tool addresses many key points fo our 'Live Longer' Programs but I really am impressed how it engages young people with limited literacy and numeracy skills. The young people receive a basketball sticker and place it on the section of the "key to good health" and this lets us know as facitlitators what knowledge they have gained and where we as a program need to improve." Hoops 4 Health Founder, Timmy Duggan

The Department of Health and Ageing has recently renewed its existing arrangement with Hoops 4 Health Aboriginal Corporation for another year and this enables the 'Live Longer' Program to be continued in the Top End of Australia.