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Obesity
Obesity is associated with many illnesses and is directly related to increased mortality and lower life expectancy. Tackling obesity is a government wide priority.
Healthy Weight, Healthy lives: A Cross-Government strategy for England
This strategy supports the creation of a healthy society - from early years, to schools and food, from sport and physical activity to planning, transport and the health service.
It will bring together employers, individuals and communities to promote children’s health and healthy food; build physical activity into our lives; support health at work; and provide the incentives more widely to promote health. It will also provide effective treatment and support when people become overweight or obese.
Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: Six Months on
This newsletter provides an update on progress since the publication of Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England in January 2008.
Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A toolkit for developing local strategies
This toolkit is to help PCTs and Local Authorities plan, coordinate and implement comprehensive strategies to prevent and manage overweight and obesity. It provides information and tools including useful statistics, practical initiatives, evidence of effectiveness, checklists, frameworks and examples of good practice.
It is an update on the previous toolkit Lightening the Load: Tackling Overweight and Obesity: A toolkit for developing local strategies. There are new tools that provide a breakdown of the cost of obesity to every PCT. Other new tools include research from the upcoming Change4Life campaign that provides insight into families views on diet and activity.
Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: taking forward the healthy food code of good practice
The Agency and the Department of Health (DH) have jointly written to food industry leaders and other interested parties setting out plans to assist in delivering the Healthy Food Code of Good Practice.
The Healthy Food Code of Good Practice summarises the challenge to all sectors of the food industry to promote healthy eating.
Healthy Community Challenge Fund: Invitation to local areas
As part of a £30 million Healthy Community Challenge Fund, local areas are invited to come up with innovative ways to make regular physical activity and healthy food choices easier for local communities, with the aim of preventing overweight and obesity in England. These documents set out the background to the programme, the criteria for making an application and the template to be used to submit an application.
Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: Guidance for Local Areas
This guidance follows on from the publication of the Government’s obesity strategy Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government strategy for England.
It sets out what actions PCTs and local authorities, and their partners, can take to deliver their child obesity goals as part of the NHS Operating Framework Vital Signs and the Local Government National Indicator Set.
Guidance on setting goals for local prevalence of child obesity
This guidance provides advice to PCTs and local authorities on how to set child obesity goals as part of the Vital Signs and the National Indicator Set.
Obesity Publications
National Child Measurement Programme
This national programme involves all children in Reception and Year 6 having their height and weight recorded. The exercise will take place in schools every year.
Additional links
Related links
Foresight - Tackling Obesities - Future Choices Project
The Government asked Foresight in 2005 to carry out a review of obesity. Foresight reported its findings ‘Tackling Obesities: Future Choices’ Project in October 2007.
Obesity Care Pathway and Your Weight, Your Health
A comprehensive package of material (May 2006) for health professionals, as well as information to be given to patients, including Obesity Care Pathways for adults and children and a weight loss guide for patients.
Lightening the load: tackling overweight and obesity
This toolkit (updated March 2007) provides a comprehensive collection of information and tools to help local multi-agency teams to develop and implement strategies and action plans.
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