Increasing one-to-one and family support to become a healthier weight is part of plans to tackle obesity in Tameside.

Tameside Council - as well as seven other local authorities across England - has been successful in a grant bid of £153,468 for a one-year project to support children and families with weight management. 

The council say it will work in partnership with Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, local schools and Active Tameside to deliver relational and outreach approaches with the funding - to support families with extended brief interventions and Tier 2 weight management services. 

The authority has also been given a one-off grant of £209,741 for supporting adults to be a healthy weight. 

It will go towards commissioned schemes from the current providers of Tier 2 weight management services in Tameside - Be Well Tameside (Pennine Care NHS Trust) and Live Active (Active Tameside) - with a focus on new models of delivery and a more targeted approach.  

This includes Be Well Tameside increasing the one-to-one support they provide for people in the community, which will be targeted at underrepresented groups, including those with mental health needs and long-term conditions. The service uses a combination of face-to-face and digital support to deliver the NHS 12-week weight loss programme.

They will collaborate with Active Tameside for the physical activity element, which also includes one-to-one sessions to understand the needs of each person and ensure the right behavioural change support is offered for them.

Various coaching and goal oriented techniques will be used to support each person. It includes weekly catch ups with a lifestyle coach and specifically targets groups that are traditionally underserved, including 16 to 18-year-olds and residents with disabilities or additional needs.

People are also being urged to download NHS endorsed apps, which help to introduce changes to help them eat better and get active this summer, including the newly updated NHS Weight Loss Plan app. You can search 'Better Health' or visit nhs.uk/betterhealth for free tools and support to start leading a healthier lifestyle today.

In Tameside, 71 per cent of adults are now classed as overweight or obese, compared to 62 per cent in England as a whole.  This includes an estimated 22,000 patients registered with GPs in Tameside who are recorded as obese.

In reception (age 4-5 years), 27 per cent of children in Tameside are overweight or obese compared to an England average of 23 per cent. By year 6 (10-11 years), this has increased to 36 per cent, slightly higher than the England average of 35 per cent. 

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children differs across Tameside, with some communities affected more than others: for example, many of the wards in the West generally having higher levels of overweight and obesity than those in the East. It is also known that the family environment has a huge influence on diet, exercise, and on the weight of parents and children. 

Obesity has long been known to have a significant impact on people’s health and longevity of life. This has become increasingly and urgently evident throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and there is now strong evidence linking obesity to severe cases of Covid-19.

People are also being warned of the substantial costs of obesity to the nation - both directly and indirectly. 

The cost to the NHS of ill-health related to overweight and obesity was estimated to be £6.1 billion in 2014/15. The costs to wider society were even greater, at £27 billion. By 2050, these costs are expected to be magnified, at £9.7 billion to the NHS and £49.9 billion to wider society.

Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Population Health, Councillor Eleanor Wills, said: “I am delighted that this funding will go to current providers of weight management services, helping local people to maintain a healthy weight.

“Tier 2 weight management is a contributing part of a whole systems approach to tackling obesity. Maintaining a healthy weight is essential to helping increase a healthy life expectancy. We’re helping local people live longer healthier lives with good mental health through better choices and reducing inequalities.”

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