13 Jul 2020 Food Active re-launches the Healthy Weight Declaration to support system-wide approaches to promoting healthy weight
Food Active is delighted to announce the re-launch the Local Authority Declaration on Healthy Weight (hereafter HWD).
The revised HWD launched today is designed to support local authorities and partner organisations in taking a system-wide approach to healthy weight.
To date 23 local authorities across England have adopted the HWD, representing the North West, South West, Yorkshire and Humber and the North East, with many more currently working through the process.
The HWD has already demonstrated it is a successful framework for engaging individuals and departments from across councils – from council leaders to officers in planning, economic regeneration and transport – and also among partners organisations. Policies and practice have been positively influenced in terms of planning applications for hot food takeaways, procurement and vending, availability of free water, health and wellbeing campaigns and the support of staff and residents to eat well and be active, among others.
What’s new?
Following 6 months of consultation with public health staff, the following updates and resources have been produced:
- Updated commitments – from 14 to 16 – taking into account agendas such as climate change, ‘place-based’ approaches, blue and green infrastructure
- New logo and artwork
- New support pack with updated evidence base, including a range of case studies from local authority adopters
- Joint narrative with Public Health England to outline how the HWD and Whole Systems Approach to Obesity can work in synergy.
- Audit and check tool
- Departmental briefings ranging from housing, to highways to procurement.
- Communications support including social media assets and advice and guidance on encouraging stigma-free communications
These resources now accompany a range of other existing resources such as a Monitoring and Evaluation tool, the HWD Partner Pledge and support pack and more.
How can I access these resources?
Network members: If you are a member of the Food Active network, then you can access the resources by logging into the HWD Resource Hub here. The login details will have been communicated to you by one of the Food Active team – if not, please get in touch with alex.holt@foodactive.org.uk to access these.
Non-members: For those not currently part of the network or commissioning Food Active, we would be very happy to speak to local authority public health teams, both individually but also on a regional basis, to discuss how adopting the HWD may work in your area. We offer a range of packages and level of support in the adoption process, and includes access to our host of new and existing resources listed above.
In the meantime, you can take a sneak peak at the Executive Summary of the updated support pack below.
HWD Support Pack - Summer 2020 - Executive Summary
You can also find out more about how the HWD has enabled change in seven different case studies from across England in our Impact and Influence report.
