Published on 2 May 2024
A new digital resource funded by Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance has been launched in the region to help community organisations promote healthier weight.
The Why Weight Hub, developed by public health practitioners from healthier weight programme Food Active, is designed to equip community organisations with greater understanding of living with overweight and obesity. It shows how weight is associated with both physical ill health and mental health, and how this can be attributed to people’s wider environments and circumstances rather than the choices that individuals make.
Prevalence of excess weight has doubled in the last 20 years, with almost two thirds of adults living with overweight or obesity. It is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK, in addition to contributing towards other long-term health conditions.
The Why Weight Hub - www.whyweighthub.org.uk – has been developed in response to scoping and insight work by Food Active over 2023-2024 as part of a project funded by the Cancer Alliance.
A key learning point from this work was the enhanced role community organisations can play in raising conversations about healthier weight, delivering healthier eating and physical activity interventions, and helping to signpost individuals and families to local support services. A specific recommendation was to develop a ‘one stop shop’ digital resource for third sector organisations to enhance current work to address overweight and obesity in local communities.
The free to access Hub allows voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations to download a host of resources, tools and guidance materials to help develop activities and environments promoting healthier weight, offering support for specific population groups, including older adults, ethnic minority groups and people living with disabilities.
Food Active is working with CVS organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside to promote use of the Hub by local community groups and has provided training for key members of staff to gain a better understanding of the complex range of factors that influence overweight and obesity.
Matthew Philpott, from Food Active, said: “We are really excited to be launching the new Why Weight Hub as we were aware that many VCFSE organisations wanted to access a ‘one stop shop’ resource that would help them to promote healthier weight through their own services. We wanted to develop a hub with localised information for our nine places across Cheshire and Merseyside, and host specific resources for specific population groups such as disabled groups, older age and specific faith groups.”