DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release (2007/0079) issued by The Government News Network on 4
April 2007
An obesity toolkit
crammed with practical tips and information is being launched to
help people fight the flab and improve their health.
With almost a quarter of the adult population now classified as
obese and with the proportion of obese children rising by more
than 40 per cent between 1995 and 2004, an obesity toolkit is
being published to help local councils and health bodies support
people in their area to beat the bulge.
Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said;
"Most people know they should eat more fruit and vegetables,
and do more exercise but sometimes they need a nudge in the right
direction to get them on the road to improving their health.
"That's where the obesity toolkit can help - providing
a raft of information and tools such as useful statistics,
practical initiatives and examples of good practice. It has been
set up to provide local planners with a starting point for
developing a local strategy to tackle overweight and obesity
tailor made for their areas."
The launch of the online toolkit comes as thousands of young
people are using the new Teen Life Check - a quick online quiz
style questionnaire primarily for young people aged 11 - 14, but
primarily aimed at 12 and 13 year olds.
As of March 27, 6881 people have accessed the Teen Life Check
site and 3015 have now taken the 'quiz' since it went
live on February 6.
The online questionnaires give young people the opportunity to
take greater responsibility for their health and well being as the
questionnaires help them understand how their lifestyles may
affect their health and direct them to information and resources
to help them improve their health.
Caroline Flint continued;
"Obesity has a major impact on people's health and can
lead to Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and
cancer. And for this reason, reducing obesity is a government priority.
"We want to help and support people to make changes to their
lifestyles that will improve their health and the health of their
children. This isn't about telling people what to do. The
obesity toolkit provides professionals in local government and the
NHS with the tools they need to tackle this problem.
"This approach is valuable as we already know that the Teen
Life Check is being widely used by young people - within several
weeks of the website going live, nearly 7,000 people have accessed
the site.
"The Teen Life Check empowers young people by allowing them
to personally assess the impact their lifestyles may be having on
their health. The tool provides young people with info and
resources to help them make positive health changes. In many
cases, the life check will be the first chance the young person
has had to think holistically about their behaviour and how it
affects their health."
Jane Landon, deputy chief executive of the National Heart Forum said;
"The obesity toolkit will provide primary care trusts and
local authorities with an invaluable online resource which will
help them develop a strategy for tackling overweight and obesity
in their local area, taking into account the specific needs of the
population, and based on the best available evidence of effectiveness."
NOTES TO EDITORS
For enquiries contact the Public Enquiry Line on 0207 210 4850.
1. The National Heart Forum published an online toolkit:
Lightening the Load: tackling overweight and obesity. This has now
been revised in the light of NICE guidance and is being jointly
published with the National Heart Forum, the Faculty of Public
Health and the Department of Health. It is available online at http://www.dh.gov.uk/obesity
or in hard copy.
2.The obesity toolkit is intended to help local multi-agency
teams including public health promotion and primary care
professionals, and strategic planners in both the NHS and local government.
3. The Teen Life Check is being tested for six months in Bolton,
Hackney, Northumberland and Portsmouth. Teen Life Checks may be
made available nationally in 2008.
4. The Teen Life Check is not a stand alone tool. It is part of a
broader package of intervention to support behavioural change and
drive forward improvements in young people's health.
5. The Teen Life Check went live on February 6 at http://www.teenlifecheck.co.uk
and it is also available nationally on the Teenage Health Freak
website, L8R and the DfES facilitated website - Need2Know.
6. Young people's involvement in developing the Teen Life
Check has been and will continue to be crucial in ensuring that we
get this tool right.
[ENDS]