Change4Life Armley will work with local families to show how they can make changes to their lifestyles so that they can live longer and stay healthy. The aim of the programme is to reduce levels of obesity among children as well as adults.

Change4Life Armley is working closely with schools and has launched the initiative with fun days in seven schools in the area during March before the official launch of the programme on 28 March.

Hundreds of families have attended fun days at schools in the Armley cluster, including Christchurch, St Bartholomew’s, Whingate, Castleton, Five Lanes and Holy Family Primary Schools. Families have taken part in a Change4Life fun trail and signed up to the ‘Be Healthy! Challenge’ to make a small change to their lifestyle that will improve their long-term health. 

Jan Burkhardt, Health Improvement Specialist - Young People, for NHS Airedale Bradford and Leeds, says: “We are pleased to be launching a three year Change4Life Armley campaign so that we can develop a sustainable approach to helping local people ‘eat less, move more and live longer’. The fun days are innovative because it is the children themselves that run the activities; helping their parents and siblings become more aware of the core messages behind the Change4Life campaign.

“Supported by professionals the children learn about these messages and then pass them on to their parents by challenging their knowledge about healthy lifestyles. Having completed the challenges families are asked to make a small achievable change to their life-styles.”

Change4Life Armley will bring lots of exciting opportunities for children and families.  New multi sports Change4Life clubs for kids, cooking groups and park events are just some of the ideas being developed by local partners.

Find out more about the ‘Be Healthy! Challenge’ by visiting www.leeds.nhs.uk/change4life  

Notes

What is it Change4life Armley?

It is a 3 year Whole Systems Approach (WSA) to reducing childhood obesity (and thus improving child health in general).  It will achieve this by partner organisations working together on a range of initiatives and interventions to help children achieve/maintain a healthy weight.  It will aim to increase healthy eating and physical activity in families by:

• raising awareness of the importance of this issue;
• developing intentions to adopt more healthy life-styles; and
• creating an environment which supports healthy weight children. 

Why a Whole Systems Approach?

Childhood obesity is a significant health problem with complex causes. A whole systems approach is most likely to be effective in creating an environment which supports children to be a healthy weight. Such an approach combines interventions aimed at different target groups, delivered through different settings, delivered by different organisations. Consistent messages and approaches across these layers would be backed up by local social marketing techniques.