Promising results from weight loss campaign
A WEIGHT LOSS programme targeting those with greater needs is achieving promising results.
Overweight adults are losing an average 18kg from a 12-week low-calorie diet campaign and supported behavioural change on the Counterweight-Plus programme, which was launched as a two-year pilot in 2019 through the Health Improvement Commission as part of its work on healthier weight.
‘Initial results are promising and show an average weight loss of 18kg, plus evidence of normalisation of blood glucose and cholesterol reduction,’ the HIC’s annual report states.
‘The pilot continues in 2021 with a focus on remission of Type 2 diabetes.’
The commission, established in 2018, receives funds from the States and charitable and private sources to deliver health improvement initiatives.
It is reviewing the findings of research commissioned in 2019 of the help available to adults with complex obesity, with the intention of developing these services.
Last year also saw it lead a project to add weight, nutrition and physical activity to assessments of three-and-a-half-year-olds by health visitors.
‘Attended by 97% of children, in its first year, 487 children were screened, and 34 families were offered and accepted tailored support in areas such as relationships with food, eating well and physical activity or were referred to targeted family support which they would not have been offered otherwise.’
The annual report also covers the work being done to improve health in terms of activity, nutrition and addressing substance use.
‘We had to be agile and quickly shift what we were doing and how we were doing it to support the community’s health during and after lockdown,’ said HIC chief executive Simon Sebire.
‘We’re delighted that we can now continue to deliver our objectives with an even stronger justification and widespread acknowledgement of how collective action from all sectors of the community is needed to improve our health.’
The annual report highlighted the development in 2020 of several ‘whole-school’ policies to ensure everyday access to good nutrition and regular physical activity from early years to post-16 education.
It published findings last year that showed 56% of primary school children did not meet physical activity guidelines.
In the last quarter of 2020, the commission became a partner in the Bailiwick Social Prescribing pilot project. The scheme enables GPs to refer a person to a link worker who during free sessions can help identify non-medical support and advice and it is due to launch fully shortly.
