Creating the Conditions that make it easier for people to be healthy
Developing a shared understanding of the local factors that contribute to childhood obesity will help make it easier for all of us to eat well, have a healthy weight and be physically active.
Lots of fantastic work was already happening in Dundee in 207-19, to support children, young people and their families to eat well, drink well and be active! Read about some of these activities, below:
Designing Healthy Weight Event (The Steeple, Dundee) October 2017
Joyce Thompson, then dietetic consultant in public health nutrition and members of the Dundee Healthy Weight Partnership’s (DHWP) group – had an ambition to create conditions that make healthier options, easier ,and support positive wellbeing and healthy weight.
The Healthy Weight agenda in Dundee had been building momentum for many years prior to a key event that took place at the Steeple on 24th October 2017. The “Designing Healthy Weight in Dundee’ event became the catalyst in kick starting a movement to demand positive change across the city.
DHWP, together with Open Change, a Dundee based service design company co-designed the event: bringing together diverse expertise, experiences and approaches to create a healthy weight ‘movement’ in the City.
Over 100 people attended the event, coming from across the city and beyond. Senior decison makers in local authority and NHS, active schools co-ordinators, third sector organisations, academics were represented, amongst others.
Here's what Professor Paul Gately, our keynote speaker from the event, had to say about our approach to changing obesity within Dundee.
Our Eat, Play, Learn Well Approach
Eat, Play, Learn Well was a test approach to Child Healthy Weight (CHW) in the East End of Dundee in 2016-17.
The approach involved a range of local workers and 3 primary schools working alongside the local community to co-produce an action plan, based on what mattered to local people.
Our work was published in an academic journal. You can read it in full here - link to Dundee's Eat, Play, Learn Well Approach
This early work, in one community, meant we were well placed to be an Early Adopter area of a Whole Systems Approach to Diet & Healthy Weight.