Minutes:
Laurie McMahon, Professor in Health Policy at City University, London facilitated a group discussion which included the Board and invited guests from public sector and voluntary organisations.
The meeting heard that the pressures on health funding in conjunction with a rise in public expectations had created a gap between funding and demand. Options discussed had included localisation, investment in prevention, profiling and targeted interventions, and generating citizen responsibility.
During discussion the following points were made:
· Foresight modelling in 2007 projected a substantial increase in obesity by 2050. A raised BMI denoted an increase in disability affected life years, characterised by conditions such as musculoskeletal disorders, sleep apnoea, and type II diabetes.
· Modelling of prevalence described how, by 2034, 50% of 50-79 year old men would be obese, and 50% of 70-79 women would be obese, and that this would create increased dependency.
· Programmes such as Change for Life had demonstrated that awareness did not necessarily instigate engagement. There were a number of small projects to tackle obesity in progress, but in order to create a widespread affect an industrialisation of intervention would need to be created. These could be brief interventions, and include methods such as motivational interviewing, as per current interventions for smoking and alcohol. Inactivity constituted less than 30 minutes of activity per week, and so individuals who fell within this category needed to be located and motivated to change behaviour.
· Convenience food had become an issue, and Local Authorities had a the ability to control licensing for fast food establishments, however a message that communicated the need for balance with moderation should be prioritised over a bad food/good food message. This message would need to be consistent across all services to inspire change and reduce confusion.
· Interventions could be implemented using local, drill down data on obesity to target interactions and disseminate through communities. School and pre-Schools could have a major role within this through physical education and Healthy Schools Pilot. Staff within organisations, as members of the community, could be supported with programmes such as work place challenges and the support of in house Champions. Interventions would need to encompass a life course message and make contact with women prior to pregnancy, and through maternity and post-natal services.
· Making a habit socially unacceptable was considered the most effective way to change behaviour. This would suggest that concentration on social and cultural changes would affect change laterally and virally. Financial levers could be explored for educating and raising awareness, such as the impact of high BMI on matters such as insurance premiums and mortgages borrowing. Research had been conducted into the kind of messages that change behaviour. Borough Councils and District Councils experienced in local educational campaigns could lend expertise to disseminating the message.
· There could be an opportunity to create a model for a healthy town approach based upon research conducted by other towns and cities, which could then be adapted to localised areas.
RESOLVED:
1. That a task and finish group be set up by Malti Varshney and Jane Healey to produce further information and recommendations on child and adult obesity
2. That Maidstone BC, Tonbridge and Malling BC, Sevenoaks DC and Tunbridge Wells BC discuss the potential for a cycle of agenda setting meetings, with each authority taking in turn in conjunction with the Clinical Commissioning Group and Kent County Council