Healthy Communities. A toolkit to help community organisations and groups in Ceredigion promote healthier lifestyles

Transcription

1 Heathy Communities A tookit to hep community organisations and groups in Ceredigion promote heathier ifestyes Based on the experience of the "Heathy Heart" (Inequaities in Heath) project, Ceredigion ( ), funded by the Wesh Assemby Government.

2 This Tookit has been prepared in partnership with Ymaen Ceredigion and the Ceredigion Pubic Heath Team. Project Officers: Ceredigion Pubic Heath Team: Rhian West, Heath Promotion Practitioner Ymaen Ceredigion: Aan Whittick, Community Deveopment Officer Contact: Ceredigion Pubic Heath Team, Y Bryn, North Road, Lampeter SA48 7HA heen.jones@nphs.waes.nhs.uk or: Ymaen Ceredigion, Portand Road, Aberystwyth SY23 2NL bobj@ymaenceredigion.org.uk Designed by zodshop environmentay sensitive design Printed on 100% recyced paper using vegetabe based inks.

3 Tookit Contents: 2 Organisations and groups who took part Who we are. Aim of the Tookit. What do we mean by "heath"? Why promote heathy ifestyes? Why are community organisations we paced to promote heathy ifestyes? Getting started key principes. The key facts about food. Types of projects - food. The key facts about physica activity. Types of project - physica activity. The key facts about smoking Types of project - smoking. The key facts about stress. Types of project - stress. 24 Overa good practice Hep! Resources, training and hep (Ceredigion). Resources, training and hep (Nationa) Service Leve Agreements Poicy Evauation Sef-assessment 38 Acknowedgements.

4 2 HEALTHY COMMUNITIES TOOLKIT Organisations and groups who took part in the Heathy Heart programme in Ceredigion: Ceredigion Loca Heath Board Ceredigion County Counci Ceredigion Heath Aiance Ceredigion Association of Vountary Organisations (CAVO) Area 43 (Youth support and information centre) Primary Heath Care Teams in Aberystwyth (Ystwyth Medica Practice, Church Surgery, Padarn Surgery) and in Cardigan (Asheigh Surgery) Ceredigion Heathy Schoos Scheme Nationa Smoking Cessation Service University of Waes (Dept. of Sport and Exercise Science and Dept. of Leisure) Communities First, Aberystwyth Ceredigion Socia Services Ceredigion Youth Offending Team Ceredigion Pupi Referra Unit Ceredigion Training Age Concern, Ceredigion Ceredigion WI Cantref Housing Association Ceredigion Loca Agenda 21 Chidren and Young Peope's Partnership Surestart Homestart Fying Start Women's Aid, Aberystwyth Penparcau Famiy Centre Residents of Gowg y Caste and Ridgeway, Cardigan Cardigan Toy Library, Maesgas Penparcau Youth Cub Jigso - Chidren's Centre, Cardigan Cardigan and Aberystwyth after schoos Cubs Ceredigion Pupi Referra Unit Pascrug Leisure Centre Finch Square Café, Cardigan Camau Bach (MYM) Canofan Padarn (Day Centre) Cardi Cardiacs Crazy Fruit Cub Crymych Leisure Centre Aqua Serena Country Cub Aberystwyth Mind Sma Word Theatre Pfizer UK and the ead organisations - Ceredigion Pubic Heath Team (Nationa Pubic Heath Service) and Ymaen Ceredigion (a not for profit organisation promoting sustainabe community deveopment). Sma Word Theatre - Riverside Festiva, heathy food theme, Cardigan.

5 WHO WE ARE 3 Who We Are: Ceredigion Heathy Heart Programme The Ceredigion Heathy Heart programme was estabished in Apri Originay a three year programme funded by the Inequaities in Heath fund of the Wesh Assemby Government, it was subsequenty extended and is now due to finish in March It is one of 62 Inequaities in Heath projects in Waes. The overa aim of the fund was to target areas of inequaity and reduce the risk of deveoping coronary heart disease in ways that coud be sustainabe. The Ceredigion Heathy Heart programme worked in the communities of Aberystwyth and Cardigan. Our aim has been to reduce the risk of serious iness by promoting heathy ifestyes. This meant focusing on heathy eating, physica activity and issues reating to smoking and stress. The programme has worked with individua groups and organisations to identify ways which woud make it easier for their members to either eat heathier food, increase physica activity or dea with stress and smoking issues Within the two towns, 52 projects emerged. Activities chosen by the participants incuded, fruit snacks, provision of heathy meas, recipe swaps, cooking skis, training on heathy eating, production of resources such as a Cardigan step and caorie map, production of an exercise video, community gardens, physica activity sessions, casses and equipment, awareness raising discussions and events, environmenta improvement, persona mentoring, smoking cessation support and residentia and other intensive programmes aimed at young peope at risk. The best resuts came when community eaders were abe to work with both their members and their staff to bring about positive changes in ifestyes. It was important to do this in a way which coud be sustained after the project had finished and into the ong term future.

6 4 HEALTHY COMMUNITIES TOOLKIT The heathy heart programme showed concusivey that community organisations, given initia support and a modest eve of investment from our fund, were peased to promote heathy ifestyes. Community organisations fet that the introduction of the heathy ifestyes agenda, especiay where reated to food, produced a positive response from both staff and members. Socia interaction and communication increased and raised confidence which in some cases ed to other heathy ifestye initiatives, such as group activities (e.g. waks) or smoking cessation. Some initiatives have had such a positive response that participants have agreed to contribute to the cost to make the initiative sustainabe for the ongterm. The Aim of the Tookit The aim of the tookit is to encourage and support community organisations and groups to promote heathy ifestyes by: Carifying the meaning of heath Identifying the potentia of organisations to infuence heathy ifestyes Identifying the benefits of promoting heathy ifestyes to both organisations and members Providing information on heathy ifestye messages Providing information about resources, training and support networks, both ocay and nationay. The Tookit is based on the experience of the heathy heart programme's work with community organisations. We hope that it wi inspire you to take up the promotion of heathy ifestyes. What do we mean by heath? The Word Heath Organisation defines heath as: "a state of compete physica, menta and socia we-being and not merey the absence of disease or infirmity". In the ight of this definition, many community organisations wi recognise that they aready make a significant contribution to the heath and we-being of their members. For exampe: Many community organisations support vunerabe and hard-to-reach members of the community. They engage with them and isten, offering advice, reducing stress and providing a safe, positive socia environment. Indeed, some of these organisations have heath issues at the centre of their agenda, for exampe those supporting peope experiencing menta heath probems. It is important therefore for everyone to recognise that community organisations are aready ikey to be contributing to the heath and we-being of their members in some way. Heath is aso about the individua staying heathy. This incudes, having access to information, making informed choices about heath and we- being and having the confidence and sef esteem to make changes. Adopting a heathy ifestye is one of the ways of improving your heath by enjoying heathy food, taking enough exercise, stopping smoking and tacking stress issues. Community organisations have the opportunity to adopt an "hoistic" approach to heath which can be particuary effective, as it considers the whoe person and the situation in which they find themseves. It is an approach which vaues rather than abes the individua and identifies root causes of probems, rather than just symptoms. "We wi focus on heath and webeing, not iness by using every avenue to promote heathy communities (and by) empowering individuas to take responsibiity for their own heath." "Designed for Life" - Heath and Socia Care in Waes in the 21st Century

7 WHO WE ARE 5 Why promote heathy ifestyes? Most peope woud benefit from increasing their physica activity, eating a heathy baanced diet, avoiding too much stress and of course, not smoking. There are immediate benefits to adopting a heathier ifestye and being more active. Physica activity and a baanced diet hep peope fee better not ony in themseves, but about themseves. Even for those peope facing particuary difficut and chaenging circumstances, changing to a heathier ifestye is something positive which they can achieve for themseves and for their famiy. Sma changes can significanty increase our chances of avoiding iness, such as heart disease, some cancers, obesity or diabetes. Teachers and parents consistenty report better behaviour and better concentration eves from chidren who have eaten reguar, baanced meas, especiay breakfast and from chidren who have avoided some of the additives found in fizzy drinks and sweets. Evidence shows that peope fee better after taking some form of physica activity such as a wak in the open air. Even this modest eve of activity promotes menta heath and can hep combat depression. We know that those members of the community suffering the most disadvantages have the greatest risk of i heath. Organisations that access this target group are particuary we paced to support changes in their ifestye. Promoting heathy ifestyes fits we with many of the key poicies and strategies which inform the deveopment of our services and our communities here in Waes. This may be hepfu when seeking funding. These incude: The Assemby Government's consutation document We Being in Waes which emphasises that everyone in Waes shares responsibiity for heath. Government's roe is to hep create the conditions necessary to hep peope to improve their heath. 'Heath Chaenge Waes' is the Wesh Assemby's chaenge for the nation. It asks organisations in the vountary sector to do as much as they can to hep the peope who use their services and their own empoyees, to improve their heath. The Wesh Assemby Government has deveoped a nutrition strategy caed Food and We-being which outines the actions required to improve the diet of peope in Waes. Pascrug Leisure Centre - cycing in the woods, near Aberystwyth.

8 6 HEALTHY COMMUNITIES TOOLKIT The Review of Heath and Socia Care in Waes 2004 (known as the Waness Report) states that the demands on heath care services are unsustainabe in the onger term and that greater emphasis on preventing i heath in the first pace is essentia. "Designed for Life" is the ten year strategy outining how Nationa Heath Services shoud ook by "Life Long Heath" is one of the Three Design Aims. The aim is to focus on heath and we being not iness by: Using every avenue to promote heathy communities Empowering individuas to take responsibiity for their own heath. The Ceredigion Heath, Socia Care and We-being Strategy is part of "Ceredigion 2020" which is the Community Strategy for the county. This is the basis for deveoping services and is the key vehice for taking forward the Heath Chaenge Waes agenda in Ceredigion. Why are community organisations we paced to promote heathy ifestyes? Community Organisations offer: A safe and trusted environment that accesses some of the most vunerabe members of the community. Such an environment is favourabe to infuencing change. A weath of oca knowedge and insight about their members and their community which can hep the depth of engagement necessary to bring about ongterm change. The opportunity to bring about change, not simpy by teing and informing but by aowing the cient group to experience change, through seeing, doing, or tasting something new. Again, such experiences can significanty infuence change in the ong term. A unique position outside the heath service with its current emphasis on treating i-heath, where members of the community can access advice and support on heathy ifestye issues. The Benefits to your organisation: Heathy Lifestye issues provide a focus for discussion and activities that is beneficia to both staff and cients. Discussions provide an opportunity to share thoughts and experiences, making cients fee incuded and vaued. Heathy ifestye initiatives prompt greater participation and the opportunity for greater engagement with the cient group. Learning new skis increases the confidence and sef esteem that is so essentia for ong term change. Staff may aso appreciate being supported to ive a heathier ifestye and they in turn can subsequenty become roe modes for members. A reationship with the cient group that aows for open discussion which is non-judgementa. This environment and reationship provide a unique patform that can significanty infuence changes in ifestye issues.