Healthy lifestyle project tackling obesity in three worst areas of Salford

Salford Primary Care Together, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and Salford Red Devils Foundation have joined forces to tackle obesity.

This activity-based programme has been commissioned as a one-year pilot service to support families in making healthy lifestyle choices.

The focus will be on three areas of Salford; Irlam, Eccles and Cadishead.

These areas have a higher average weight than other parts of Salford.

The families take part in a one-to-one assessment with a dietitian who gives them personal advice on changes they can make to their lifestyle and diet in order to make a long-term change to their wellbeing and health.

The programme is aimed to support families either in a group or in a clinical setting. 

The second stage of the programme are small interactive group sessions designed for the entire family to attend and engage in fun activities based around healthy lifestyle, nutrition, physical activity and wellbeing.

There is also an option for private sessions for families who don’t feel comfortable attending group meetings. 

After the completion of the service, families can possibly continue to get support from the Energise project by attending 45-minutes-long exercise sessions and getting advice on maintaining their new, healthy lifestyle. 

Debbie Lawford, a pediatric dietitian and one of the founders of The Energise Project said: “Both the parents and the children have been enthusiastic about making changes to their lifestyles as a whole family. It’s much easier and more enjoyable to make changes if the whole family are trying to eat better and improve activity levels.

“The obesity rates are higher in  Salford than most areas  in England  but across the UK there is a year on year increase in the rates of childhood obesity.

“Lots of work is already underway in Salford to address this and the Energise programme will help families to look at the whole family approach to improving their diet and increasing physical activity levels.”

As a part of The Energise Project, Salford Reds are running half term sessions at AJ Bell stadium for children aged between 10-15.  The sessions are a free and fun way to encourage exercise, engage with other children and meet some of the players. As part of the project there will be a free cookery workshop with the Dietitian on Friday 26th  of October.