On Monday 6 October, partners across the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care System (ICS) came together to celebrate the launch of the Why Weight? Pledge for creating healthier places together. The event, held at St Michael’s Centre in Stoke Gifford was a celebration of the commitment to a collective effort to create a future where everyone has the access and ability to eat well, feel well and be active.
The Pledge is the first of its kind to be developed collaboratively by organisations across the health and care system. It sets out ten commitments for creating healthier environments where more people get the chance to lead healthy lives.
Attendees heard about action already being taken by early adopters of the pledge, the latest evidence with regards to supporting individuals to live healthy lifestyles, as well as first hand experiences of weight stigma. Attendees came away with a deeper understanding of how to take a compassionate, trauma-informed, whole-systems approach to healthier environments within their own organisations and communities.
Dr. Jeff Farrar, Chair of NHS Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board said: “It was great to see so many people in attendance at the launch of the pledge. I am confident that with so many brilliant people collaborating across the area, we will begin to shape a future that nurtures people toward the best opportunities to lead healthy lives.”
Sarah Weld, Director of Public Health for South Gloucestershire, said: “Being overweight is a significant health risk. In Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, one in five children in reception are living with overweight or obesity, this rises to one in three children in year 6, and two in three adults. The causes of overweight and obesity are complex and strongly influenced by our environment. It has never been more important to work together to create healthier places around people where they live and work so that they can eat well, feel well and be more active.”
The pledge has received funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Three Schools Prevention Research Programme. They will evaluate how the pledge is being implemented and its impacts in the first 18 months. This work will assess what actions have been taken by partner organisations, how this is bringing about change, and what resources are going to be needed to plan and implement the actions those actions.
Read the Why Weight? Pledge for creating Healthier places Together
