CURRENT TOPICS & OPINIONS
HEY! A practical example of promoting healthy lifestyles in the early years Children’s eating habits are formed at a very young age and are shaped by what is provided for them by their parents. These eating habits set a pattern for future dietary behaviours which impact on their health and life chances. Helen Baker and Janet Solla, from the Community Health and Learning Foundation and Rhiannon Knowles and Gill Simpson, from Danone take a look at HEY!, an accredited, seven-week community health improvement course offering the opportunity to tackle health inequalities and promote behavioural changes in parents, to move towards a healthier lifestyle. This article reflects on the work undertaken through the pilot project, presents some key findings from its evaluation, and the plan for its future roll-out.
In May 2013, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) announced the accreditation of the HEY! programme. HEY! (Healthy Eating for Young Children) is led by the partnership of Danone Baby Nutrition (DBN) and the Community Health and Learning Foundation (CHLF), and delivered in collaboration with 4Children and Wiltshire Council. It is an accredited, seven-week community health improvement course designed to improve health outcomes and life chances of children aged one to three years, by engaging with their parents to deliver practical healthy eating support and life skills learning. This ambition is in line with Danone’s global mission of ‘bringing health through food to as many people as possible’1 and DBN’s
lifestyle, which in turn would improve their children’s health. The course is aimed at children living in the areas of highest disadvantage. Research evidence demonstrates that families living in the most disadvantaged communities are often those who have the worst health outcomes, because they face the most difficult challenges in managing their health and wellbeing. A lack of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills is one of the major contributing factors to this.5,6 For this reason, the course divisional mission ‘to stand by mums to takes an embedded learning approach, nurture new lives’.2 using the health literacy expertise of the One of the key factors which enables CHLF. HEY! is based on the health young children to thrive is access to a themed ‘Skilled for Health’ resources, healthy, varied, and balwhich have LLN anced diet. Very small chilskills learning dren learn to like the food embedded within parents are the key that parents offer them, them. The twin agents in providing which can shape their eataims of improving the right social, ing habits for the future. health and LLN emotional, and Research shows that parskills concomients are the key agents in tantly is what nutritional inputs providing the right social, makes HEY! emotional, and nutritional unique and inputs to lay the foundamakes it stand tions for a healthy, functioning society. out from other community-based healthy Early intervention must occur in the zero eating courses. to three age range to break the intergenEach HEY! course runs over seven erational cycle of chaotic lifestyles and weeks in early years settings. First, parphysical ill-health.3 At the time of develents take part in healthy eating activities oping the HEY! course, 2.2 million chilwith the group facilitator, and their children (17%) were living in low-income dren take part in activities linked with the families with material deprivation, a lack parents’ learning, separately in the of basic goods and services, and 1.6 mil- crèche. Then, the parents and children lion children (12%) were living in absolute come together for shared physical activipoverty in the United Kingdom.4 DBN ties and lunch. wanted to deliver a community project The weekly sessions last for three around early years intervention, offering hours, and cover topics such as healthy the opportunity to tackle health inequalilifestyles, food groups, portion sizes, ties and promote behavioural changes budgeting, food labels, shopping for in parents move towards a healthier value, food safety, and more. The
Copyright © Royal Society for Public Health 2013 November 2013 Vol 133 No 6 l Perspectives in Public Health 299 SAGE Publications Downloaded from rsh.sagepub.com at SIMON FRASER LIBRARY on June 14, 2015 ISSN 1757-9139 DOI: 10.1177/1757913913505981
CURRENT TOPICS & OPINIONS sessions are fun and interactive, and when cooking, and all participants said learning is encouraged through group they were better at shopping for food – discussion and practical activities. The many saved money as a result. course reinforces learning by enabling One mum lost ten pounds over the parents to apply it in real-life situations seven weeks: her doctor asked her what through practical shopping and cooking this programme was as she wanted to activities. recommend it! She said the most useful HEY! is mapped to the RSPH Level 1 thing for her was understanding portion Award in Health Improvement, equivalent sizes. to two learning credits at Level 1 on the Another transformation was the ten-aQualifications and Credit Framework day coffee drinker who ate no fruit and (QCF). Parents can choose to get their vegetables: this participant now drinks learning accredited and gain their Level 1 just two cups of coffee on average a day Award, by completing a portfolio and lots more water. She also tried lots throughout the HEY! course. A total of of fruit, although she is still not into 13 parents have achieved the award to vegetables. One mum had made a date, and they were among the very first shopping list and stuck to it, saving £60 in England to do so. on her usual shopping bill. Prior to the commencement of the roll The parents were surprised by the out of HEY! in July 2013, information they got from the course was robustly the comparison tasks durthere were piloted in Trowbridge, ing the supermarket visit, Wiltshire – the commupositive signs of especially the difference in nity within which DBN is health behaviour cost when buying bagged located. Four HEY! versus loose apples, 90p change courses were delivered compared with £2.50! in three 4Children All participants said that Children’s Centres to 41 parents. they enjoyed the course, and there were The evaluation of the pilot project positive social outcomes, with particishowed many positive outcomes. pants reporting that they enjoyed meetParents’ knowledge about health ing new people and making new friends. improved, and there were positive signs One parent said, ‘This group got me out of health behaviour change. Knowledge the house when I was feeling low and increased the most around how to eat helped me with the first steps in getting more healthily, make money for food go my life back on track’. further, portion sizes and knowing how to The positive impact of HEY! seen cook better. In terms of healthy behavthrough the pilot project has inspired iours, 50% of participants said they and DBN to expand the coverage of the their family were eating more fruit and course, across the South West in the first vegetables and the number of toddlers instance and then to further areas across eating the recommended five or more England. This phased roll-out proportions of fruit and vegetables per day gramme is taking place between July increased by 300%. A total of 40% of 2013 and May 2015. participants said they were cooking more The RSPH’s accreditation scheme from scratch and, using fresh ingredients endorses training courses that promote
300 Perspectives in Public Health l November 2013 Vol 133 No 6 Downloaded from rsh.sagepub.com at SIMON FRASER LIBRARY on June 14, 2015
and support communities’ health and wellbeing. HEY! has undergone an expert assessment of its effectiveness in the delivery of practical healthy eating support and life skills learning, and consequently received accreditation earlier this year. HEY! has also recently won the Building Stronger Communities category at The Responsible Business South West Impact Awards 2013. The awards are run by Business in the Community. Building Stronger Communities recognises genuine partnerships that identify and address a key social issue through sustainable projects or initiatives, and are making a lasting impact.
References 1. Danone. Danone 12 – Economic and Social Report, 2012. Available online at: http:// danone12.danone.com/en/appli. htm?page=01 (Last accessed 19th August 2012). 2. Danone Baby Nutrition. DBNews all editions, 2012–2013. Internal Corporate Communications, Danone Baby Nutrition: Trowbridge. 3. Allen G, Duncan Smith I. Early Intervention: Good Parents, Great Kids, Better Citizens. London: Centre for Social Justice and Smith Institute, 2008. 4. Department for Education. A New Approach to Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes of Disadvantage and Transforming Families’ Lives. London: The Stationery Office, 2011. 5. Bynner J, Parsons S. Does Numeracy Matter More? London: National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2005. 6. Berry J et al. Skilled for Health: Making the Case. 2006. Available online at: http://rwp.qia. oxi.net/embeddedlearning/skilled_health/ index.cfm (Last accessed 27th September 2013).
HEY! A practical example of promoting healthy lifestyles in the early years Children’s eating habits are formed at a very young age and are shaped by what is provided for them by their parents. These eating habits set a pattern for future dietary behaviours which impact on their health and life chances. Helen Baker and Janet Solla, from the Community Health and Learning Foundation and Rhiannon Knowles and Gill Simpson, from Danone take a look at HEY!, an accredited, seven-week community health improvement course offering the opportunity to tackle health inequalities and promote behavioural changes in parents, to move towards a healthier lifestyle. This article reflects on the work undertaken through the pilot project, presents some key findings from its evaluation, and the plan for its future roll-out.
In May 2013, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) announced the accreditation of the HEY! programme. HEY! (Healthy Eating for Young Children) is led by the partnership of Danone Baby Nutrition (DBN) and the Community Health and Learning Foundation (CHLF), and delivered in collaboration with 4Children and Wiltshire Council. It is an accredited, seven-week community health improvement course designed to improve health outcomes and life chances of children aged one to three years, by engaging with their parents to deliver practical healthy eating support and life skills learning. This ambition is in line with Danone’s global mission of ‘bringing health through food to as many people as possible’1 and DBN’s
lifestyle, which in turn would improve their children’s health. The course is aimed at children living in the areas of highest disadvantage. Research evidence demonstrates that families living in the most disadvantaged communities are often those who have the worst health outcomes, because they face the most difficult challenges in managing their health and wellbeing. A lack of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills is one of the major contributing factors to this.5,6 For this reason, the course divisional mission ‘to stand by mums to takes an embedded learning approach, nurture new lives’.2 using the health literacy expertise of the One of the key factors which enables CHLF. HEY! is based on the health young children to thrive is access to a themed ‘Skilled for Health’ resources, healthy, varied, and balwhich have LLN anced diet. Very small chilskills learning dren learn to like the food embedded within parents are the key that parents offer them, them. The twin agents in providing which can shape their eataims of improving the right social, ing habits for the future. health and LLN emotional, and Research shows that parskills concomients are the key agents in tantly is what nutritional inputs providing the right social, makes HEY! emotional, and nutritional unique and inputs to lay the foundamakes it stand tions for a healthy, functioning society. out from other community-based healthy Early intervention must occur in the zero eating courses. to three age range to break the intergenEach HEY! course runs over seven erational cycle of chaotic lifestyles and weeks in early years settings. First, parphysical ill-health.3 At the time of develents take part in healthy eating activities oping the HEY! course, 2.2 million chilwith the group facilitator, and their children (17%) were living in low-income dren take part in activities linked with the families with material deprivation, a lack parents’ learning, separately in the of basic goods and services, and 1.6 mil- crèche. Then, the parents and children lion children (12%) were living in absolute come together for shared physical activipoverty in the United Kingdom.4 DBN ties and lunch. wanted to deliver a community project The weekly sessions last for three around early years intervention, offering hours, and cover topics such as healthy the opportunity to tackle health inequalilifestyles, food groups, portion sizes, ties and promote behavioural changes budgeting, food labels, shopping for in parents move towards a healthier value, food safety, and more. The
Copyright © Royal Society for Public Health 2013 November 2013 Vol 133 No 6 l Perspectives in Public Health 299 SAGE Publications Downloaded from rsh.sagepub.com at SIMON FRASER LIBRARY on June 14, 2015 ISSN 1757-9139 DOI: 10.1177/1757913913505981
CURRENT TOPICS & OPINIONS sessions are fun and interactive, and when cooking, and all participants said learning is encouraged through group they were better at shopping for food – discussion and practical activities. The many saved money as a result. course reinforces learning by enabling One mum lost ten pounds over the parents to apply it in real-life situations seven weeks: her doctor asked her what through practical shopping and cooking this programme was as she wanted to activities. recommend it! She said the most useful HEY! is mapped to the RSPH Level 1 thing for her was understanding portion Award in Health Improvement, equivalent sizes. to two learning credits at Level 1 on the Another transformation was the ten-aQualifications and Credit Framework day coffee drinker who ate no fruit and (QCF). Parents can choose to get their vegetables: this participant now drinks learning accredited and gain their Level 1 just two cups of coffee on average a day Award, by completing a portfolio and lots more water. She also tried lots throughout the HEY! course. A total of of fruit, although she is still not into 13 parents have achieved the award to vegetables. One mum had made a date, and they were among the very first shopping list and stuck to it, saving £60 in England to do so. on her usual shopping bill. Prior to the commencement of the roll The parents were surprised by the out of HEY! in July 2013, information they got from the course was robustly the comparison tasks durthere were piloted in Trowbridge, ing the supermarket visit, Wiltshire – the commupositive signs of especially the difference in nity within which DBN is health behaviour cost when buying bagged located. Four HEY! versus loose apples, 90p change courses were delivered compared with £2.50! in three 4Children All participants said that Children’s Centres to 41 parents. they enjoyed the course, and there were The evaluation of the pilot project positive social outcomes, with particishowed many positive outcomes. pants reporting that they enjoyed meetParents’ knowledge about health ing new people and making new friends. improved, and there were positive signs One parent said, ‘This group got me out of health behaviour change. Knowledge the house when I was feeling low and increased the most around how to eat helped me with the first steps in getting more healthily, make money for food go my life back on track’. further, portion sizes and knowing how to The positive impact of HEY! seen cook better. In terms of healthy behavthrough the pilot project has inspired iours, 50% of participants said they and DBN to expand the coverage of the their family were eating more fruit and course, across the South West in the first vegetables and the number of toddlers instance and then to further areas across eating the recommended five or more England. This phased roll-out proportions of fruit and vegetables per day gramme is taking place between July increased by 300%. A total of 40% of 2013 and May 2015. participants said they were cooking more The RSPH’s accreditation scheme from scratch and, using fresh ingredients endorses training courses that promote
300 Perspectives in Public Health l November 2013 Vol 133 No 6 Downloaded from rsh.sagepub.com at SIMON FRASER LIBRARY on June 14, 2015
and support communities’ health and wellbeing. HEY! has undergone an expert assessment of its effectiveness in the delivery of practical healthy eating support and life skills learning, and consequently received accreditation earlier this year. HEY! has also recently won the Building Stronger Communities category at The Responsible Business South West Impact Awards 2013. The awards are run by Business in the Community. Building Stronger Communities recognises genuine partnerships that identify and address a key social issue through sustainable projects or initiatives, and are making a lasting impact.
References 1. Danone. Danone 12 – Economic and Social Report, 2012. Available online at: http:// danone12.danone.com/en/appli. htm?page=01 (Last accessed 19th August 2012). 2. Danone Baby Nutrition. DBNews all editions, 2012–2013. Internal Corporate Communications, Danone Baby Nutrition: Trowbridge. 3. Allen G, Duncan Smith I. Early Intervention: Good Parents, Great Kids, Better Citizens. London: Centre for Social Justice and Smith Institute, 2008. 4. Department for Education. A New Approach to Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes of Disadvantage and Transforming Families’ Lives. London: The Stationery Office, 2011. 5. Bynner J, Parsons S. Does Numeracy Matter More? London: National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, 2005. 6. Berry J et al. Skilled for Health: Making the Case. 2006. Available online at: http://rwp.qia. oxi.net/embeddedlearning/skilled_health/ index.cfm (Last accessed 27th September 2013).
