Staffordshire's Children and Families Healthy Weight Framework
Introduction
The Government's ambition is for England to be the first major country to reverse the rising tide of obesity and overweight in the population by ensuring that all individuals are able to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. The initial focus is on children. In Staffordshire 24.6 percent of 4-5 year olds and 32.6 percent of 10-11 year olds were overweight or obese in 2009/10. This has serious consequences for children's physical and mental health now and in the future. It also has a significant impact on their future lives in terms of productivity at work, salary and social and economic class.
Staffordshire Healthy Weights Strategic Group
The Staffordshire Healthy Weights group is leading a county-wide approach to reducing levels of obesity and to help people maintain a healthy weight. Staffordshire has a healthy weights strategy and delivery plan in order to tackle the problem:
Childhood Healthy Weight Strategy (212kb)
A number of task and finish groups have been developed to support district delivery and in order to progress priority areas from the delivery plan.
Staffordshire Children and Families Healthy Weight Frameworks
A set of frameworks have been developed by Staffordshire Children's Healthy Weight Group, in conjunction with other interested partners. The group recognised the huge amount and the variety of activity already going on in Staffordshire to promote healthy weight in children. However we recognised that much of it was ad hoc, piecemeal and short term and therefore unlikely to secure enduring population wide change which is what is required to tackle such a widespread growing problem.
This framework is to assist commissioners, planners and providers of services to consider the promotion of healthy weight for children as they commission and plan services and developments. If all of the elements covered in this framework are provided for in any one locality it is expected to have an impact on the prevalence of healthy weight in children and families. The framework is based on the latest available evidence and is intended to be multi-agency, multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary. If every partner works together on this issue Staffordshire hopes to achieve the ambition of reversing the growing tide of children who are over their healthy weight.
To support commissioners, service planners or providers the framework has been split into three age groups:
• Pregnant Women and Babies (1.16mb)
• Pre-school Children (1.03mb)
• School Aged Children (1.21MB)
Local work to help children achieve and maintain a healthy weight
There is a lot of work taking place across Staffordshire to help children and their families achieve and maintain a healthy weight. A number of physical activity and weight management services and initiatives are being delivered across the county. For example in South Staffordshire the healthy kid5 website has been developed. This is a fun and interactive reference source and a practice guide on childhood obesity and good nutrition. It is for health and community workers, children and their parents.
http://www.healthykid5.com/index.html
For more information about the services in your area speak to your practice or school nurse.
For more information about Healthy Weights, please contact:
Sharon King,
Principal Health Improvement Manager - Children, Young People and Families/District Public Health Lead - Staffordshire Moorlands (Interim)
Staffordshire Public Health
Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire NHS
Wedgwood Building
Tipping Street
Stafford ST16 2DH
Direct line: 01785 27 6667
Mobile: 07886 924698
Email: sharon.king@northstaffordshire.nhs.uk
or
Natalie Kelly, Head of Health Improvement,
Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire NHS
Wedgwood Building
Tipping Street
Stafford ST16 2DH
Direct line: 01785 27 6585
Email:
natalie.kelly@southstaffspct.nhs.uk
Staffordshire Children's Trust is not responsible for the content of external websites linked from this page.
Last Modified:
17/01/2012 09:18:21
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