taxis for one year from (January 2008 – January 2009). The posters and leaflets were distributed to GP practices, community centres, community pharmacies, workplaces and some secondary schools. The campaign was heavily promoted for the first 4 weeks and then continued through use of posters and leaflets which are still being given out. Prior to launch, there was a focus group testing all the materials.
Five graphics have been developed to demonstrate how much energy needs to be expended after eating an item of food e.g. if eaten a medium sausage roll need to brisk 30 minute walk with a dog.
Linked into the ‘Get the Balance Right’ is the Sefton Pedometer Challenge which was launched w/c 4th February 08. The Sefton wide programme offers a free pedometer and information up to 500 participants. Participants were given an induction and information before given a pedometer.
Get the Balance Right: Energy In/Energy Out
Campaign
170 Support: The campaign was funded through Neighbourhood Renewal Funding
(NRF) funding. Furthermore, there is a local public health food partnership with Sefton PCT, local authority and community and voluntary organisations.
Trigger: The campaign was initiated by Sefton PCT in response to helping to tackle obesity agenda and making people aware of energy balance concept.
Targeted Communities: During the campaign, it was made sure that the bus stop adshels and taxis displaying the images were in our low socio-economic areas and also in these areas car ownership rates are low so taxis and buses are used by groups in these areas. The posters were also displayed in locations within these areas.
Evaluation: An evaluation was conducted by Sefton Primary Care Trust (PCT). 400 face-to-face interviews were carried out in local shopping centres, and 50 interviews in each of the sampling points apart from the more densely populated towns of Southport and Bootle, where 75 interviews were carried out.
In short; one in three respondents had seen, hear of read information about nutrition and physical activity recently. Furthermore, the TV, local radio and leaflets at supermarkets were the most frequently named places respondents had come across the information.
Half of the respondents stated that the campaign they had seen was promoting healthier options. But just under half stated that they had passed the information they had received on, or discussed it with other people. And one in eight respondents had seen the specific promotional material before the interview.
One in three respondents normally accessed health information from their GP or health centre. Magazines, word of mouth, the internet and TV were other frequently given responses. Two in five of those who had seen the campaign before stated that it had made no difference to their eating and drinking behaviour. However one in five stated that it had made them change their
consumption of foods and drinks with high calorie content. One in two stated that it had at least made them think about what the food and drink they consume. Three in five of those who hadn’t seen the campaign before felt it was unlikely that what they had seen would change their eating or drinking behaviour. However one in six felt that what they had seen would change their consumption of food and drink with high calorie.
Contact Details:
Clare Johnston
Health Promotion Officer NHS Sefton
+44 151 479 6550
171
This health centre delivers Open College Network accredited courses at level one and level two in disadvantaged communities across Bradford. Subject areas include diet, nutrition and exercise.
Aim & Objectives: This project aims to reduce health inequalities in the area of Bradford, contribute to a better standard of living by promoting healthier living through increased awareness, and provide beneficial activities which are fun and popular.
Design: Highfield Healthy Lifestyle was established in 2001 as a Healthy Living Centre funded through the New Opportunities Fund (the Big Lottery). The programme initially for 5 years was set up to reduce health inequalities in Holme Wood and Bierley, Bradford, both areas in the top 10% of the Governments Index of Deprivation (2001). From 2008 on the organisation changed the status to a Community Interest Company, Limited by Guarantee.
Seven years of development have enabled the centre to build on levels of expertise and also to build strong links within the communities of South Bradford and beyond. The challenges are to development these links further to residents who cannot access our service e.g. people at work.
There is a core staff team of 6, with sessional workers giving added support. There are also volunteers attached to projects who give support to the core team. The core staff team each have responsibility for specific areas of work, whilst also multi tasking to provide a seamless service across all the projects. In 2006, Healthy Lifestyle started running accredited courses. Prior to that the offered courses were not accredited and thus there was a development
opportunity through this. The accredited courses have now developed up to level two.
The courses are interactive and fun; some are family learning and also involve the young children participating with their parents. The people living in the communities where the work is delivered often have poor educational attainment levels and poor basic skills. Getting these people into education as ‘adults’ can be difficult, because of negative experiences they have had in the past. The courses are overcoming barriers to education, whilst addressing the need to educate people to improve their health and attitude to diet and nutrition. Many learners enjoy the courses so much that they ask to go onto the further courses.
As well as the obvious benefits around education the learners/residents about diet and nutrition, leading to a healthier lifestyle, there is also the added bonus of improving the confidence and self esteem of those taking part. This can have far reaching consequences and for some learners it has involved them returning to employment and further education.
Support: Healthy Lifestyle centre is funded until 2011 to run a range of projects for the Primary Care Trust. Furthermore, Family Learning, Education Bradford funds the project to deliver accredited and non accredited courses in primary schools across the Bradford District. The centre receives funding from the Football Foundation to work with primary school children and their families to reduce obesity and promote sport, and the Older People’s Wellbeing Fund are funding a Wellbeing Café and support group for the visually impaired. At last, the centre also takes on a range of freelance work throughout the year by request. The partners of Healthy Lifestyle include the P.C.T., Family Learning – Education Bradford, National and Regional Healthy Living Centre Alliances, South Bradford Sports Alliance, Holme Wood Community Council and all community groups working within the South Bradford Area. These partnerships are developed through regular attendance at meetings. The centre contributes to
Highfield Healthy Lifestyle CIC
172 the partnerships through an involvement in decision making processes and posts
on various boards.
Trigger: As a Healthy Living Centre which started in 2001 funded through the New Opportunities Fund, the need through consultation with residents and other statutory/non statutory partners was identified to improve the diet of the community where we were working.
Targeted Communities: The majority of the work is in the Bierley and Holme Wood areas of Bradford - two areas of high deprivation.
However, through some of the work there was a mixture of socio – economic communities and this has worked very well in breaking down barriers. One example was the running of a level 1 course in a predominately white British area of Bradford and another course in a predominately south Asian community in another area of Bradford. A level 2 course was put on and brought members of both these groups together for the numbers required to run the course. The groups started off working separately, however by the end of the 12 weeks they were working closely together, totally mixed and sharing recipes and confidences.
Evaluation: Other than the weekly session plans and end of course short evaluations, there are no further evaluations.
Contact Details:
Sharon Rushworth
Highfield Healthy Lifestyle CIC +44 1274 47 13 28
173
This service is a structured patient centred programme based on delivering brief interventions and using motivational interviewing techniques to bring about behaviour change by setting achievable goals over a 12 month period and following up on maintenance up to 24 months (based on NICE guidelines).
Aim & Objectives: The aim of the project is to reduce obesity levels in people over the age of 18 years who have a BMI greater than 25 but less than 40 - or whose waist circumference puts them at risk of developing long term conditions. It is also intended to increase access to and choices of weight management services, as well as identifying those who may be at risk but who are not registered on GP registers. Overall the service is aimed at improving quality of life and longevity of life.
Design: This community pharmacy service is an integrated part of the overall PCT weight management care pathway and another intention is to promote increased partnership working between GPs, community pharmacists and other healthcare professionals for public benefit.
Furthermore, a patient survey indicated that people wanted to be able to access weight management services which were local, provided flexibility, were medically endorsed and free of charge. So the pharmacy service was a good fit. This programme will initially be delivered by community pharmacists though trained technicians who can assess the “readiness to change” of clients before they are enrolled into the programme. Accredited training underpins the service including knowledge of obesity and behaviour change skills.
Over the 12 month programme clients’ BMI, waist measurement and blood pressure are taken at varying intervals. At different sessions, different aspects of healthy lifestyle improvement are focused upon e.g. diet, nutrition, physical
exercise, etc. Referral protocols to GPs are in place as well as signposting clients to other services which may be helpful within their locality e.g. fitness clubs, local walks, cooking classes, etc.
A previous pharmacy pilot service had been successfully evaluated in Coventry PCT but this service also included cholesterol testing and diabetes testing. The GPs consulted in the development of the Central Lancashire PCT service did not want to include these tests so it was agreed that the focus would be on behaviour change as the first tier of service. It was important to get multi - professional agreement. Future tiers of service may include pharmacological support via patient group direction (PGD). This weight management service can also be easily integrated into the forthcoming government vascular screening programme.
A pilot project in 12 community pharmacies began in September 08 and was developed as the result of a partnership approach between Central Lancashire Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) and the PCT. Service development was underpinned by a Leadership Programme and the PCT team consisted of a range of personnel from various professional backgrounds e.g. GP, pharmacists, public health, dietician, commissioning, finance. Two community pharmacists were also involved.
Support: PCT funding came from savings made by effective medicines management services. Based on successful evaluation, funding is available to roll out to another 12 pharmacies targeted at areas of health inequality. The service is now written in to the PCT strategic commissioning plan as part of CVD primary prevention and hopefully the service will eventually be rolled out to all pharmacies within the PCT.
Trigger: Data estimated that in Central Lancashire PCT there were 85,000 people with a BMI over or equal to 30. That meant that potentially around 53,000 people who are 16 years and over and who have a BMI greater than 30 are not registered as obese on any GP practice register. Life expectancy in males and females in Lancashire is significantly worse than average in England. The trigger