Working in Partnership to Reduce Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is increasing in Scotland: in order to reverse this trend it is important the partners across the public sector work together. HEAT 3 is a health service target aiming to engage 19,500 overweight and obese children in Scotland in Child Healthy Weight interventions.

This session will report on the work undertaken by NHS Health Scotland with geographic NHS Health Boards, Local Authorities and third sector partners to address this. The work supports a number of the key outcomes and experiences within the health and wellbeing component of Curriculum for Excellence, including mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing; planning for choices and changes; physical activity and sport, and food and health. It also compliments the work being taken forward as part of the School's Health Promotion Act.

Though discussing issues common across Scotland, including how to identify and engage with overweight and obese children, the session aims to raise the awareness of childhood obesity and reflect on the role of education services in achieving child healthy weight targets. It will use learning from a recent evidence review and evaluation of local interventions to provoke thinking and debate around how to address this.

Alison Macdonald has worked in Health Scotland as a Programme Manager for Children and Families for the last year. Prior to that she worked in Glasgow as a public health practitioner, developing work in a variety of areas including tobacco, oral health and income maximisation, as well as working with Health Development Officers within newly established Learning Communities.

Latterly as Health Improvement Lead for Early Years, she focused on programmes around community-based maternity services, infant feeding, parenting and smoking in the home.