Press release
Bury residents encouraged to make a 'Change4Life'
An ambitious new campaign that will help mums, dads and families eat well, move more and live longer has hit television screens, billboards and magazines across the country.
The aim of the ‘Change4Life’ campaign is to kickstart a lifestyle revolution for every family in order to halt the rising tide of obesity.
Experts say without any intervention, by 2050 90% of today’s children will be overweight or obese and at risk from serious diseases – that is the central message of Change4Life. As part of this new movement there will be extensive support and information to help families and particularly children to live healthier lives.
The campaign will help families to understand the harm that fat can cause to their children’s health. It warns that a bad diet and inactive lifestyle can lead to cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Change4Life helps to reinforce measures already in place to tackle obesity in Bury. This includes a borough wide Obesity Strategy and a healthy schools programme which includes education, healthy meals and healthy vending machines to promote awareness and choice as well as engaging children of all ages in a variety of physical activity opportunities.
Mike Kelly, Deputy Chief Executive at Bury Council and is Team Bury’s Healthy Weight Management Champion said; “The way we live our lives has a direct impact on our health and well being, people living in Bury are not immune to the effects of this. Within a modern lifestyle setting we simply don’t walk or get enough exercise or eat as healthily as we used to do. As a result, we have seen a rising trend in Bury adults and alarmingly children becoming and suffering from being significantly overweight. Allowing weight to spiral out of control runs the increased risk of a lifestyle dogged by poor health such as diabetes, stokes, cancer, heart dieses and depression. All our partner organisations in Team Bury strongly support the Change4Life initiative and will be doing what they can to help get across this message.”
“Change4Life aims to get people eating more healthily, taking more exercise and in turn living longer lives. Making a Change4Life doesn't need to be difficult, it can be fun, and small changes to the way we live can make a big difference to our health now and in the future. That’s what Change4Life is all about.”
Andrew Rogers, Programme Director Public Health at NHS Bury added; “We have made a lot of progress in Bury to tackle obesity, but there is still a lot to do to put in place opportunities to bring about positive changes to the lifestyles of children and their families, and Change4Life is key to this.”
Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said; “Change4Life has a critical ambition. We are trying to create a lifestyle revolution on a huge scale – something which no Government has attempted before.”
“The extent of the obesity problem demands an ambitious and innovative approach that has not been tried before. We have adopted ideas from successful movements such as Make Poverty History and Comic Relief which involves a wide range of partners, local organisations, commercial companies, charities and, of course, millions of people.”
“Change4Life is supportive, informative and reassuring – it’s not about telling families what to do and what to eat. We want families to engage with the campaign and understand that obesity is not someone else’s problem – it’s all of our problem.”
For more information about Change4Life visit www.nhs.uk/change4life or call 0300 123 4567.
ENDS
Date: 9th January 2009
For further information please contact Caroline Dearden, Corporate Communications Manager, NHS Bury on 0161 762 3106 or email caroline.dearden@bury.nhs.uk