Monday 16 November 2015. A six month pilot programme designed and run by CSH Surrey to support overweight and obese 5-19 year olds has been extended by Surrey County Council Public Health for another six months. The three month programme - Healthy weight, Healthy Lifestyles - will help 5-19 year olds and their families make long-term changes to their lifestyles – so they make healthier choices about what they eat and how they live so they can stop further weight gain, and ultimately return to a healthy weight for their age and height.
Participants will benefit from a 7-part programme of 1:1 face and phone support with a specially trained nurse, who will cover topics such as motivation, food and diet, understanding food labels, physical activity and lifestyle tips, such as healthy snack ideas. Support will also be offered through partnerships with local leisure centres and Active Surrey, as well as through aids such as pedometers, Apps and information leaflets.
The programme is being delivered by CSH Surrey's School Nursing Team.
Feedback from current participants has been extremely positive. In one example, a 5 year old girl has lost 1kg and lost 3cm off her waist. She is now attending swimming lessons every week funded by the programme, attending a school dance club and generally walking more. Her mother has also embarked on a healthier lifestyle and now attends Weight Watchers and has lost 1 stone herself. They have made other changes too, including sitting at the table to eat meals rather than in front of the television.
Her mother says: “Not only have we lost weight but we’re also benefiting in other ways. Sitting together to eat means we’re talking more and my daughter is telling me much more about her days at school. We received funding for swimming through the programme, which has been enormously helpful as I couldn’t afford to take my daughter otherwise. The service is excellent and the 1:1 support is great. We will definitely stick with the changes we’ve made.”
Her mother rated the service as ‘Excellent’ and said she’d recommend it to family and friends. She said the most beneficial aspect is the 1:1 support (she has previously attended the group-based MEND programme for her older daughter) as it allows sufficient time for discussion and support.
Chris McDermott, a specialist school nurse practitioner at CSH Surrey, who devised the programme (which is based on NICE guidelines) with CSH Surrey Paediatric Dietitian, Diane Scheppel, says: “Around 18% of 4-5 year olds in Surrey are overweight or obese, which rises to more than 26% of 10-11 year olds (Surrey National Child Measurement Programme 2012-13). Through this programme we will support families to make long-lasting lifestyle and behaviour changes that will benefit their health for the rest of their lives.”
Julie Nelson, Public Health Lead at Surrey County Council, which has commissioned the programme, says: “Families in mid-Surrey will now be better supported to address childhood obesity, which has become one of society’s biggest health challenges. There are approximately 57,000 overweight or obese children in Surrey, many of whom will develop long-term health and psychosocial problems. The aim of this new programme is to support children and young people and their families develop healthier lifestyles, which in the long term can lead to them achieving a healthier weight and hopefully, happier lives."