Topic Report: Obesity

Both the Obesity and Healthy Lifestyle Service HNA’s identified key recommendations to support the delivery of a Whole Systems Approach to Obesity and addressing unhealthy weight across Buckinghamshire:

They recommend development of an advisory group/core working team to coordinate the approach, challenging actions and providing advice, support and accountability for the work

Evaluation and reflection throughout will ensure that actions continue to be aligned to local priorities and stakeholders continue to work in a systems approach (including stakeholder engagement assessment).

Communities are one of the key stakeholders in whole systems work. Involving, empowering and understanding local communities can help improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities- as part of the whole systems approach, the council should consider involving communities in identifying further assets that might help address obesity.

Analyse actions implemented against the causes of obesity to ensure alignment. The current assessment indicates that the majority of actions (43%) are targeting individual lifestyle factors, illustrating a mismatch between cause and action, reinforcing that the complexity of obesity is often addressed through individual-level interventions.

The evidence presented demonstrates how addressing excess weight is linked to numerous policy and strategy objectives within the council, for example planning and transport.

These identified connections between obesity and the overarching priorities of the council should be used to build compelling narrative to engage and make the case with a wide range of stakeholders, ensuring senior leadership support.

This collated information and subsequent stakeholder engagement should be used to reflect on the councils application of a ‘Health in All Policies’ approach creating efficiencies and improving effectiveness, performance and outcomes

A review of eligibility criteria for weight management services should be undertaken, considering accepting adults with a lower BMI (under 30) to support people before they become obese.

To support residents to maintain weight loss and encourage adherence to programmes provide light-touch follow-up support.

Target weight management provision should be considered, offering alternative models of weight loss support that diverges from the NICE recommended 12 week model, followed by robust evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the adapted approach.

Deliver a systematic promotional campaign to promote weight management services for children and young people, utilising strategies such as flyers and posters:

• at schools
• at GP surgeries
• in local media
• at local events

Consider adopting the principles of child weight management as advocated by the All-Wales Weight Management Pathway 2021 in the delivery of children’s weight management services in Buckinghamshire.

Delivering services that are:

• person-centered
• psychologically and behaviourally informed
• focused on the long-term
• provided with coordinated support
• provided with ongoing support on the weight management journey

There is also an actions mapping infographic published alongside this report.