1 12 th march 2009 nhs calderdale caroline snell and kath rhodes healthy halifax – consumer...

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12TH March 2009

NHS Calderdale

Caroline Snell and Kath

Rhodes

HEALTHY HALIFAX – CONSUMER RESEARCH

Date

Prepared for:

Prepared by:

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INTRODUCTION

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

• NHS Calderdale want to illustrate and understand the lives of people in its most deprived communities in relation to weight and physical activity

• Research was needed to understand:– Current behaviour around diet and activity– Attitudes to losing weight– Needs/ preferences about initiatives to help weight

loss in Halifax: what should Healthy Halifax be?

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METHOD AND SAMPLE

• 5 x 1.5 hour group discussions, 8 in home depth interviews and 4 follow up meal time interviews or accompanied shopping trips were conducted.

• All respondents were parents of children between 2 and 15

• All were either overweight themselves and/or had overweight children

• Respondents lived in Illingworth and Mixenden, Ovenden, Town or Park wards between 25th Feb to 5th March 2009

• Respondents were recruited from outside primary schools and crèches, outside local parades of shops (convenience stores and chip shops), in the street, in pubs, through friends of friends and via local community workers.

• The majority of respondents were White British, but interviews with British Asian Muslims were also conducted.

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MAIN FINDINGS

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KEY LEARNINGS

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LOCAL ISSUES

GENERALLY POOR HEALTH: can act as a barrier to weight loss (can’t exercise), but also provides the

opportunity for the GP to act as a gateway to health initiatives around food/ activity

MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION: The perceived cost of healthy eating and participating in activities is seen as

prohibitive. Weight loss can be a lower priority vs. other health or social concerns: depression; alcoholism; long-

term disability.

LOCAL ISSUES: Safety in the local community for children playing out in the neighbourhood and local

parks is a strong concern. Also the weather and hilly surroundings can act as a disincentive to outdoor

activity

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FAMILY ISSUES

DON’T RECOGNISE CHILD ISSUES: parents can often be blind to the risk of their children being over-weight – because they are currently thin/ full of energy despite

poor diet/exercise

OBESITY IS SEEN AS AN AESTHETIC ISSUE FOR CHILDREN: parents are often unaware of the health

risks associated with obesity in children

INDIVIDUAL ISSUES: weight and health are often seen as issues for the individual in the family, e.g. mums on a

diet, one of the children has ‘fat’ genes…

OTHER CARERS: take easy, child-placating options – often unhealthy diet choices

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DIET AND NUTRITION: KNOWLEDGE/ INSIGHT

ROLE MODELS: parents don’t know they are role models to their kids – and that kids pick up and re-play

their attitudes to food (e.g. love treats, hate vegetables)

PORTION SIZES: parents don’t know about child-size portions and how much they and their children should be

eating in a day

LACK SKILLS: parents don’t know the full picture on healthy eating and how to make quick, easy, healthy

meals for all the family

SNACKING: parents don’t know about appropriate levels of snacking for themselves and their kids

FEAR RISK: parents choose ‘safe’ popular options

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DIET AND NUTRITION: ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOUR

FOOD IS LOVE: parents don’t want or know how to limit their kids’ food. They use food, particularly sugar treats, to reward

and also value giving kids choice in food

MISSED MEALS: lots of adults are eating erratically and missing meals, not eating until well into the afternoon and then

over-eating afternoon and evening

FOOD AND HAPPINESS: food and alcohol are used by adults to comfort, alleviate boredom, entertain and for habitual treats

GENDER DIFFERENCES: women are generally more willing to regulate weight through changing diet, men are more willing to

regulate weight through exercise.

MULTIPLE MEALS: kids can be given multiple meals – at child-minders/ at home..

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FURTHER BARRIERS TO WEIGHT LOSS: DIET

Low motivation

Pleasure deprivation/hung

er associated with dieting

Past ‘failures’/ yoyo dieting Trade off

being overweight with being able eat

what want

Dislike spending time

on cooking

Hard for mums to prioritise their needs over others

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PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: KNOWELDGE/INSIGHT

KIDS ARE ACTIVE: Only parents who acknowledge their kids are over-weight or at risk see physical activity as something that needs to be a planned part of family

routines – most presume their kids are sufficiently active

AN HOUR A DAY: Few are aware or even accept kids need one hour a day physical activity

WHAT IS ACTIVE?: Most adults only have a general idea of what physical activity entails, and what level of activity

is needed for them/ their children to lose weight

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PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOURS

NO TIME: parents feel they are very limited in the time that they have to dedicate to physical activity: working patterns; child-care issues; child routines; tiredness are

all barriers

FUN: physical activity is rarely associated with having fun, but when it is – it is warmly welcomed

SEPARATENESS: adults can provide activities for children, but often don’t join in – families rarely do

activities together

GENDER DIFFERENCES: women generally resist the idea of strenuous activity. Men are more attracted to

competitive sports and getting fit

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FURTHER BARRIERS TO WEIGHT LOSS: EXERCISE

Embarrassment

Effort needed Cost

Dislike the idea of

physical discomfort –

sweaty, heart racing

Lack of child-care facilities/ concerns over

child-careNeeding

to devote a lot of time/

effort to get

results

Past ‘failures’ Associate

exercise with

youth

Fear of children playing

out/ area

younger children in tow

Needing to cater for

children of different

ages/

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CASE STUDIES

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MORE MOTIVATED

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ALL CHANGE ADAMS• Dad working, mum not , boy 5, girl 4, girl 2• Both parents have weight related medical

issues (but no advice on weight loss)• Dad has recently given up smoking• Strong desire that children do not become

overweight like them• Child freedom to choose food v. important• 2 weeks into new healthy regime – lower

fat, less take aways, more veg, more home cooking (little awareness of portion sizes)

• Want children to be active but afraid of local area

• Travel in car to go to park (infrequently)• Disinclined to exercise themselves• Mum v shy – rejects group activities

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ALL CHANGE ADAMSThere’s nowt round here that you’ll really want to walk for… we go where we want to be and then walk from

there…..I don’t even let the kids out to go and play on the park here…. The furthest we let the kids out of the house is in the back garden to play, they’ve got bikes and bits out there …. If we are going anywhere and they want to play out we go to a park where we know they are safe…. That

(climbing frame) has been here for 6 years, its been damaged… you wouldn’t want to let the kids out because

of the joy riders running about… you get a lot of that round here. 1

We will get in set foods and let them decide what they want themselves, unless it’s a rush job. When I was

growing up it was set meals every night. I don’t want to give that sort of thing…..My mother used to pile my plate

up sky high. I was getting an adult portion when I was 5…. 2

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ALL CHANGE ADAMS: INSIGHTS AND THEMES

Child safety a key concern Lack of depth of knowledge e.g.

Parents and children joining in together to do activities Ways to play/ stay active How much diet needs to change: child-sized portions/

snacking behaviour/ nutritional information Child choice and autonomy around food can get in the way

of good diet

Personal psychology – options needed for individual support as well as groups

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TRYING TRACY• Married, both working, daughter 11, son,

10• Wants to lose weight herself• Has sent off for Change 4 Life pack• Has been member of gym before• Work and children fill her time• Tries to be active with her kids, family

walks, walking the dog, but infrequent• Is aware son (10) is getting bigger,

unsure how to address• He will do rugby in summer (but worried

as has asthma)• He wants to eat like his father – same

portions• Grandma child minds after school, and

likes to give them popular food i.e. pizza

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TRYING TRACY & FAMILY

Meal Mum Dad Girl 11 Boy 10

Breakfast coffee coffee 1 crumpet 4 crumpets

Lunch (12.15)

Snack attack + apple juice + frube + crisps

Snack on way home

Packet of crisps Packet of crisps

At Grans (3.15)

Mini pizza snack X 1

Mini pizza snack X 4

6pm Fajitas – chicken in breadcrumbs, tortilla wrap, salad, pasta, salsa & coleslaw

2 or 3 5 2 5

Pre bed snack

Chocolate/crisps

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TRYING TRACY

Depends on what mood he (partner) is in really. Whether he wants to do anything. Cos he does

work, not long hours, but everyday, when he comes home all he wants to do is rest he doesn’t

want to be going for walks and stuff 4

The rugby club is further up the road and X (son) was doing rugby when he was younger. But he

was getting a lot of problems with his chest and I took him to the doctor who said he had asthma. So he hasn’t done it since, but he does want to go back into it, so we are looking at going back

into that 3

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TRYING TRACY: INSIGHTS AND THEMES

Food issues: portion size, food knowledge, mini me,

childminder feeding unhealthily GP as gateway Health barriers to exercise Hard to fit exercise into everyday life

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SEPARATED SMITHS• Divorced, mum (student), dad (working) takes

daughters (6 and 2 ½ ) out every Sunday pm• Mum overweight since 3• Mum wants to improve health (smoking

weight, tackling weight first – dietician)• Elder daughter bullied because of weight

(post divorce), mum wants to help her change • Trying to cut out snacks and monitor food

(hard to control what childminder gives her and child ‘steals’ food)

• Enrolled her in more clubs – gymnastics and swimming

• Dad sees kids on Sunday pm – he always does something active, but feeds kids whatever they want

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SEPARATED SMITHS

Meal MUM Girl 6 Girl 2.5

Breakfast Honey shreddies + milk Chocolate ready brek

Lunch (12ish)

1st chicken sandwich + salad

2nd sausages + peas + sweet corn + banana

Sausage casserole

Snack/at childminder

biscuit Croissant + custard

Tea (6pm) chicken with cook in tikka masala sauce + rice + pitta

Fish fingers + new potatoes + carrots + broccoli

Petit filou

Pre bed snack

Muller rice + biscuit

cereal

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SEPARATED SMITHSDad, usually takes them swimming on a Sunday, I don’t tend to

take them swimming. He only has them on a Sunday so not that much (involved in their physical activity)….It’s active, it

gets us out. I take them swimming, to the park, a bit of both, or ice skating. I’m pretty active, or try to be. (eat?) Anything they want to…. She had an allergic reaction on Monday so I rang up to find out what they ate. He just said an abundance of sweets, millions of sweets…so no chance of finding out what caused the

allergic reaction….Sunday they get what they want. 5I don’t want her to know the word, I don’t want to say to her you

are on a diet. There are times when I lose my patience when she steals from the cupboard – for God’s sake no wonder you are fat. Then I feel awful. Now I try to watch what I say, last

year were hard. I’m a lot better in myself this year. Now I’ll say I’m trying to help you, and me, I want to get fitter. How can I help you when you are stealing out of the cupboard. I don’t

want to take her there (the dietician) and make her feel like… I think I can go there and learn enough to pass it on. 6

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SEPARATED SMITHS: INSIGHTS AND THEMES

Gender focus (male exercise, female diet) GP as gateway Child bullying Children as the focus of concern in the family The psychological aspects of food and weight

gain Limited awareness of:

How much activity needed How much diet needs to change: child-sized portions/

snacking behaviour Parents as role models

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MOTIVATED MAYA

• Born in Pakistan, husband born in the UK, 1 daughter (9) and 1 son (1)

• Motivated to exercise and lose weight

• Has already made an appointment to see a dietician (via the GP)

• Has already joined a cooking club

• Support from rest of family is short-lived

• Finds it very hard to say no to her husband or children, both also want to eat ‘British’ food

• Experience and repertoire of British food is mainly unhealthy

• Priority for children is religious and academic study

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I started dieting at the first of last month. I said to my husband, please, I need to diet, I feel unhealthy and lazy. I

was crying and getting a bit emotional. He said ok and that he would eat the (healthy) food I made. He lasted 2 weeks, and then he said ‘who told you were overweight’. I

said I feel it, nobody told me. But he doesn’t agree so I say he can buy any food he likes but should eat it outside

or in the bedroom. 8

MOTIVATED MAYA

(My kids say) Mum I want chocolate, I want crisps, mum I want this… The habits we’ve got go into children….But if you stop the children and say no.. I haven’t got that big a heart. I am a very soft person. You have to make yourself a very hard person to say no….for 2 weeks they make you very upset….Then they say why, why you stop chocolate

….If I say no my husband says alright. 7

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ADDITIONAL THEMES FROM ASIAN WOMEN

Many cultural foods high in fat Culturally important to provide food for guests and

family Role of mother and wife important – to support and care

for others, denying/restricting food difficult to sustain and receives little support from family

Hard to say no to children Want to give children ‘British’ food, want to learn how to

cook in British and modern Pakistani style food Substantial snacking after school and again after

religious study

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ADDITIONAL THEMES FROM ASIAN WOMEN

Range of motivation to exercise, some strongly in favour

Facilities must be segregated, culturally appropriate and sufficient.

Strong interest in all Asian women walking group

Activity clubs for children lower priority than academic and religious education.

Can see activity for boys as a man’s role

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OVERWEIGHT OLIVIA

• Father working, wife and grandmother, 2 girls (4 and 2 ½) son (1 ½)

• Worried about eldest daughter

• Thoughts prompted by Channel 5 show ‘Too fat to toddle’

• Trying to introduce strategies to reduce her weight – limiting snacks, saying no to her requests

• Limited knowledge of what further measures to introduce

• Still rewarding with food

• Mother previously bulimic

• Food anxiety re one child’s constipation

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OVERWEIGHT OLIVIA: INSIGHTS AND THEMES

Role of TV in raising awareness of child obesity Limited strategies to reduce child weight Limited knowledge of the purpose of healthy

eating Unhealthy snacks as reward Focus on individual rather than family change

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LOWER MOTIVATION

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BUSY BRENDA

• Single mum (not working) 4, 9 and 16

• Losing weight is not high on her priorities and her children are slim

• Enjoys eating, drinking, deep frying and snacking frequent

• Little understanding or interest in nutrition

• Value for money very important

• Too tired to do anything after 7.30

• Not particularly motivated to change

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BUSY BRENDAThe sweets I keep in the cupboard next to the tins of food. So when I say to the kids what do you want for

tea, they can see the sweets and they know they won’t get their sweets without eating their tea. So they pick what they want looking at the sweets. At

least they’ll pick something, then they know they can go back in for the sweets. 9

A luxury thing for the weekend for me and my boyfriend is a curry. We like it on chips and that’s

when we have our beer and that’s it. 10

When I make chocolate muffins, I do them triple size . To buy them ….would cost £4/5, but when I cook them

for about 12 it costs no more than £1.50 11

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BUSY BRENDA : INSIGHTS AND THEMES

Represents a common attitude Hard to reach audience Enjoys food and her lifestyle Lack of willingness to change Lack of perceived need to change

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NO PROBLEM NEIL

• Dad, Mum, daughter (7)

• Dad’s first meal of day at 6pm

• Used to be in army, believes only way to lose weight is by exercise

• Arteriosclerosis prevents him exercising

• Resigned to own bad health and weight

• Believes overweight daughter (7) only has puppy fat

• Associates child weight with appearance /popularity more than health

• She ‘steals’ food from cupboards and often asks for sweets

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NO PROBLEM NEIL & FAMILY

Meal Dad Mum Girl 7

Breakfast 5am - coffee coffee cereal

Lunch (12ish) 2 biscuits Ham sandwiches, mini jaffas, muffins

Snack Sugar lollies

Tea 6pm 6 slices of bread, 4 beef burgers, 4 fish fingers

(4pm) Shepherds pie and chips

Supper (7.30) cereal

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NO PROBLEM NEIL

Little lass, she’s slightly chubbier than she should be ..according to the school ….she is slightly overweight…they say you’ll have to watch what you are giving her and cut down on her sweets…. it comes down to stuff we can

afford to get… I try to put as much fruit in her as I can and she’s not overly keen on her veg either

She is fairly active.. personally I call it puppy fat, once she is older she’ll soon have it off…. Schools are all the same, if

she is not underweight she is overweight….We tried a chart system, she can have a sweet but not a

handful, she behaves she can have a sweet and if she were bad, the following day she didn’t get it. 12

She doesn’t like much on the healthy side, like I don’t…..Sunday dinners (when he was a child) were a nightmare…. Turnip, brussels and cauliflower…uggh… but they were on

your plate so you had to eat 13

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NO PROBLEM NEIL : INSIGHTS AND THEMES

Hard for parent to see child obesity Child obesity seen as an aesthetics not a

health issue Illness prevents exercise Associates health and weight loss with army

style extreme exercise GP as potential gateway

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RESPONSE TO IDEAS FOR HEALTHY HALIFAX

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ACTIVITIES

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FUN TOGETHERIdeas which centre around having fun as a

group of adults and children have appeal

HAVE FUN IN THE PARK – WEEKEND, HALF TERM AND SUMMER ACTIVITIES

COOKING CLUB – NEEDS TO BE CENTRED AROUND HEALTHY EATING

COMPUTER GAMES AT THE SPORT CENTRE (E.G. Wii FIT) INTERESTING FOR SOME IF IT IS PRACTICAL TO DELIVER (LIKE

BOWLING ALLEYS)TRANSPORT TO SAFE PLAY AREAS WITH ADULT/ CHILD

ACTIVITIESTRANSPORT TO BEAUTY SPOTS WITH WALKING TRAILS

CHILD FOCUSED WALKS IN TOWN/ COUNTRY

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WHY FUN TOGETHER?

• Parents more readily focus on leisure time:– They have time to do this– They see the merit of doing things with kids– Anything that is fun is more positive, less arduous than ‘working

out’– Adults and children benefit – adults access their childish side

• Halifax has beautiful countryside:– So opportunities to get out there/ be taken there are welcome

• Safety is a major concern:– So being ‘transported’ to safe places feels positive for parents

A way to get the family starting to feel positive about getting moving, but the message about frequent

activity can be lost…

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SCHOOL-CENTRED ACTIVITY

Popular ideas centre around activities and information with school at the heart of

the community…

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVE CLUB FOR ADULTS AND KIDS

FIT CLUB – CHOOSE FROM DIFFERENT TYPES OF FUN ACTIVITES E.G. DANCE CLUB/ FIGHT CLUB/ CIRCUITS/

PERFORM

WHAT’S ON IN HALIFAX FOR YOU AND THE KIDS – INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT’S ON FED THROUGH THE

SCHOOL/ OR YOUR DOOR..

COOKING CLUB – COULD ALSO BE ELSWHERE

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WHY SCHOOL-CENTRED ACTIVITY?

• Fits into the routine of life, mums already having to go to school anyway

• Real appeal with the idea of mums and kids doing stuff together

• And.. Key is HAVING FUN

• Schools potentially have the facilities needed (space for clubs)

• Could provide child-care for kids under school age

• Might be able to offer rolling programme (up to 5 nights a week)

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WHY SCHOOL CENTRED ACTIVITY?

• Watch-outs:– Lots of after school activities already– Would interest wane?/ same crowd always join in– Cost/ need to charge something to gain commitment

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WORK INITIATIVESIdeas which centre around the workplace

are supported by working men/ women

COMPETITIVE ACTIVITIES – PARTICULARLY FOR MEN

TIME AVAILABLE TO RUN/ WORK OUT

WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGES/ RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY

NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT AND IDEAS

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WHY WORK INITIATIVES?

• Time is a major factor in fitting in activities, so support in the work-place can make this a possibility

• Men respond particularly well to competitions/ tournaments

• Women are interested in the support of a group..

A way to overcome the key ‘time’ barrier/ meet the needs of an individual

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ACTIVITIES WITH MORE LIMITED APPEAL

High frequency/ high commitment activities can be hard to accept for all but the most motivated…

Free/ Subsidised gym membership/ Swimming

• Some are keen to attend the gym/swim but facilities act as an obstacle:– Ltd child care facilities– Limited number of machines/ limited opportunities to swim how you

want– Changing rooms not suitable for Muslim women– Classes on in the day-time, not early evening– No time to fit this in

• At the gym, many feel overwhelmed by the idea of:– Thin, judgemental gym regulars (women)– Big pumped up regulars (men)

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High frequency/ high commitment activities can be hard to accept for all but the most

motivated…

Free/ Subsidised gym membership/ Swimming

• Muslim women (Park) are keen to an improved facility dedicated to them/ their cultural needs

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For the more motivated…

Focus needs to be on making current facilities more accessible: times; changing facilities;

price

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High frequency/ high commitment activities can be hard to accept…

1 hour a day of child activity

• Hard to accept that children need to do an hour a day:– Already do lots at school

• Hard to see how can fit in an hour a day for children:– Already busy routines (after school clubs/ religious

education)– Need time to play– ‘Adult-time’ in the evening – don’t want to focus on

doing things with the kids

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Focus needs to be on giving the message about an hour a day time to cut through, and to provide lots of strategies for quick fun 10 minute slots – following lead of change4 life..

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• Walking club– Asian women respond very positively– Can get together as a group– Opportunity to do gentle exercise– And.. Experience Halifax’s countryside– Perhaps a chance to learn more on exercise and nutrition– Could be schools based– Other are less keen..

• Pedometers– The most motivated may use pedometers to encourage

more walking

• Bike initiatives:– Less interesting: hills/ weather related– Although.. Disused railway lines could make good tracks

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MISSING INITIATIVES

Men have a particular focus on being active – are there initiatives which can focus on:

• Traditional sports

• Tournaments and competitions

• Army-style training

• Appealing to the male psyche: goal oriented approaches?

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DIET/ ADVICE

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BUILDING UP KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge-base on diet and nutrition is low and interest is there if delivered in the right way..

CHANGE 4 LIFE EASY HINTS AND TIPS E.G. ME SIZE MEALS

CONSULT A NUTRITIONIST/ FOOD AND LIFESTYLE ADVISOR: ONE TO ONE/ IN A FREE ‘DIETING’ GROUP

COOKERY SCHOOL – LEARN ABOUT EASY, QUICK AND CHEAP HEALTHY MEALS

RECIPE CARDS FROM THE SUPERMARKET

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ABOUT BUILDING UP KNOWLEDGE

• Delivery of information and support needs to be done in various different ways in order to appeal to the widest ‘audience’:– For some one-to-one consultation is needed:

uncomfortable in the group, need attention and support

– For some information needs to be easily on-hand – door drops/ through the school / at a central location (One stop shop)

– For some the group environment would be positive, feel safer supportive

• The overall appeal of knowledge initiatives lies in the emerging (for some) sense of what they don’t know/ they need to know more

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MOTIVATIONLinked to knowledge, initiatives which try to support and

motivate (in particular women) are needed for some

PERSONAL SUPPORT/ TRAINER/ DIETICIAN

ONE STOP SHOP

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ABOUT MOTIVATION

• For some one-to-one support to kick start a change for life is important:– Lots of issues to contend with (health, family

weight, lack of opportunities)– Low motivation– Trainers/ coaches sometimes wanted to give

unequivocal advice on what is needed in a personal situation

• One-stop-shop for advice and information:– Is supported by those who travel into town centre

(Illingworth less likely to use, maybe Park too?)– BUT key is to create a fun and positive environment

that doesn’t feel too institutionalised

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MAKING HEALTHY EATING AFFORDABLE

Some appeal with helping financially..

• Free slimming clubs– Some have tried WW/ Slimming World and find them expensive,

but value the weekly commitment to weigh-ins– A free club is therefore highly motivating for those who have

tried with clubs in the past– Expectations are that the club would really focus on success

(WW/ SW needs you to fail to some degree)– AND the club would be more holistic providing nutrition advice,

activity advice– Needs to run for more than a limited time frame

• Money off vouchers for Weight Watchers/ Slimming World:– Only those already doing WW/ SW find this motivating– For others – put off by the fact they’d have to pay at some point/

don’t find slimming clubs appealing

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MAKING HEALTHY EATING AFFORDABLE

Some appeal with helping financially..

• Financial incentives to lose weight:– Those with lowest incomes/ on full benefits can be

really motivated at first – a good way to boost income– BUT even here some doubt that they’ll succeed and feel

this might reinforce a sense of failure long-term– Others can feel this is wrong – motivation should be

internal– HOWEVER do support rewarding success e.g. if you

reach target weight i.e. get free gym membership for x amount of time

• Money off on Fruit and Veg at Borough Market– Users of the market think this has appeal – Supports the market/ sends out positive nutrition

messages– Non users can perceive the market as expensive – need

to indicate prices to reassure

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• Gardening Club:– Parents believe children will really enjoy this

experience, but it might not help with good nutrition

• Community Garden– Muted appeal for some, some not sure they would

participate

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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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• There is a range of motivations, levels of knowledge and specific needs found amongst people within the key areas in relation to weight loss and exercise.

• Those with the greatest motivation to lose weight, and therefore the greatest openness to outside initiatives, tend to be people with overweight or genetically ‘at risk’ children 2 – 10.

• Children, in fact, often provide a route into tackling weight issues within the whole family context, and indeed parents are most motivated with they become aware of the need to give their children the best start in life through diet and exercise

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• Barriers to weight loss can be complex and deep rooted and specific to different personal circumstances. Services and initiatives within the Healthy Halifax programme will need to cater for different personal psychologies and will need to include individual as well as group support/activity.

• There is a strong educational need for further information and strategies towards healthy living, knowledge on nutrition and cooking skills in particular are very limited, but interest in learning more is there

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• When developing the Healthy Halifax initiative, it is worth taking into account:– Most are aware of the Change for Life campaign, but not

all have realised that there is something in it for them. When seen the Change for Life packs are very well received. These packs could play a stronger role for parents in Halifax, i.e. if sent home from school in kids bags/picked up from school/handed out at after school clubs or even door dropped.

– Due to high levels of chronic illness in the key areas, GPs are a key gateway for parents getting assistance with change. They could potentially play a strong role in directing patients towards advice and support.

– Perception of child safety is another key theme, there is a strong desire to travel to safer areas for children to play / walk outside. However, for clubs there is greatest motivation when the activity / event is close to home.

– The idea of activity which involves having fun with the children can be very motivating. Although parents often have limited motivation to be more active this can change when the activity involves having fun with their children.

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• Specific and different needs also emerge:– Women can be more open to weight loss programmes and

can respond well to ideas which focus around group support

– Men often respond better to ideas which reflect masculine interests in competition and achieving goals

– Facilities and activities for the Asian Muslim women within our sample need to be gender segregated. Women can be deterred from activity not because of lack of motivation but because of overcrowded or in appropriate facilities.

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CONTACT DETAILS

71a Walmgate

York

YO1 9TZ

01904 673114

Email:[email protected]

www.claro-research.com

1 12 th march 2009 nhs calderdale caroline snell and kath rhodes healthy halifax – consumer...

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