NOO works in partnership with the Obesity Learning Centre
News
Key National Obesity Observatory news items are listed here.
New NICE guidance on weight management before, during and after pregnancy
This guidance is for NHS and other commissioners, managers and professionals who have a direct or indirect role in, and responsibility for:
* women who are pregnant or who are planning a pregnancy
* mothers who have had a baby in the last 2 years.
It is particularly aimed at: GPs, obstetricians, midwives, health visitors, dietitians, community pharmacists and all those working in antenatal and postnatal services and children’s centres.
It may also be of interest to women before, during and after pregnancy, their partners and families, and other members of the public.
In this guidance the term ‘weight management’ involves:
- assessing and monitoring body weight
- preventing someone from becoming overweight (body mass index [BMI] 25–29.9 kg/m²) or obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m²)
- helping someone to achieve and maintain a healthy weight by eating healthily and being physically active.
The six recommendations are based on approaches that have been proven to be effective for the whole population. They include advice on:
- How to help women with a BMI of 30 or more to lose weight before and after pregnancy – and how to help them eat healthily and keep physically active during pregnancy.
- How to help all pregnant women eat healthily and keep physically active.
- The role of community-based services.
- The professional skills needed to achieve the above.
To access the guidance click here
Active People Diagnostic Update
Sport England's Active People Diagnostic has been updated to include the latest Sports data from the third round of the Active People Survey - APS3.
To register and access the toolkit please click here
Quarter 4 2009/10 QOF obesity data released
Obesity is a key risk factor for a number of conditions including heart disease, stroke, some cancers and type-2 diabetes. Since 2005/06, each primary care trust has been required to submit quarterly data on the GP-recorded obesity. These data are currently submitted to the NHS Information Centre's Omnibus web-based data collection system.
To download more information and data, click here
Legacy Action Plan 2 million target: baseline measurement
The Legacy Action Plan (LAP), ‘Before, during and after: making the most of the 2012 Games’, published in June 2008, set a new cross-government target to get two million more adults physically active by 2012.
The objective of the LAP target is to increase by two million the number of adults doing three or more sessions (at least 30 minutes per session) of at least moderate intensity activity per week. The target encompasses sport and everyday physical activity such as walking, cycling, gardening, active conservation and dance.
Sport England’s Active People Survey has been adopted as the most appropriate survey tool for monitoring the target. Therefore, the Department of Health has funded Sport England and Ipsos MORI to extend the coverage of the Active People Survey to include additional domains of physical activity: dance, gardening, active conservation and active travel, from January 2009. Some people will achieve their 3x30 minutes through ‘pure sport’, some through ‘pure physical activity’ and some through a combination of the two.
This sport and physical activity related data forms the basis of the cross-government baseline against which the target of getting two million more adults more active will be measured. For more information see link below.
To download the baseline measurement document click here
CMACE/RCOG Joint Guideline: Management of women with obesity in pregnancy
Maternal obesity has become one of the most commonly occurring risk factors in obstetric practice. Obesity in pregnancy is usually defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or more at the first antenatal consultation. BMI is a simple index of weight-for-height and is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres (kg/m2). There are three different classes of obesity: BMI 30.0–34.9 (Class I); BMI 35.0–39.9 (Class 2); and BMI 40 and over (Class 3 or morbid obesity),1,2 which recognise the continuous relationship between BMI and morbidity and mortality.2 While the majority of the recommendations within this guideline pertain to women with a BMI ≥ 30, some recommendations are specific to women in the higher classes of obesity only. Obese women with a BMI below the threshold specified may also benefit from the particular recommendation; however, the chosen BMI cut-offs reflect careful consideration given to the balance of medical intervention versus risk, differences in local prevalence of maternal obesity, and resource implications for local healthcare organisations. Local maternity services may wish to implement these standards for all women with maternal obesity after consideration of these issues. The recommendations cover interventions prior to conception, during and after pregnancy.
To view full guidance click here
On the state of public health: Annual report of the Chief Medical Officer 2009
The Chief Medical Officer today published his annual report 2009. The report draws attention to major health challenges requiring immediate action and details progress made in key areas identified in previous annual reports. The annual report addresses the benefits of physical activity, preparation for cold weather to reduce health risks, treatment for rare diseases, grandparenting and health, and the link between climate change and health.
Key points on physical activity:
* Inactivity affects 60–70% of the adult population: that is more people than obesity, alcohol misuse and smoking combined.
* The physical fitness of children is declining by up to 9% per decade.
* By increasing the risk of developing more than six major diseases, inactivity poses a significant risk to the population’s health.
* Physical activity tends to decline with age, but this decline is not inevitable.
* The potential benefits of physical activity to health are huge. If a medication existed which had a similar effect, it would be regarded as a ‘wonder drug’ or ‘miracle cure’.
To view the full report click here
Putting sport and activity at the heart of the Community
In the run up to the 2012 Olympics, the importance of increasing the amount of sport and physical activity the population does is reflected through the cross government target to get two million more people active....
New Active Travel Strategy published
The Department of Health and Department for Transport have jointly published a new Active Travel Strategy. The strategy highlights plans to put walking and cycling at the heart of local transport and public health strategies over the next decade. The guiding principles for the strategy are that walking and cycling should be everyday ways of getting around – not just for their own sake but also because of what they can do to improve public health, tackle congestion, reduce carbon emissions and improve the local environment.
To view the report click here
New report: Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: Two Years On
This report includes progress made since the Government’s Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England was published in 2008.
It sets out how the Government is helping people to make healthier choices; creating an environment that promotes healthy weight; ensuring effective services are available for those at risk; and strengthening the delivery system to support frontline services.
Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: Two Years On sets out the encouraging progress the Government has made on achieving its ambition to halt the rise of child obesity and the challenge ahead to tackle adult obesity.
To view the report click here
Incentives to improve smoking, physical activity, dietary and weight management behaviours: a scoping review of the research evidence
The EPPI centre have carried out a scoping review to provide an overview of the current international research literature that evaluates the effectiveness of incentives to address health behaviours related to smoking, healthy eating, physical activity, obesity and weight management.
To view the full report click here