SPECIAL EPISODE FOR WORLD OBESITY DAY to support a charity called HENRY, which is doing amazing work to combat childhood obesity.

The statistics look gloomy. 1 in 10 children are obese when they start school and the odds are stacked against them. Only 1 in 20 children who starts school obese will be a healthy weight when they leave primary school. But finally, there is a glimmer of hope. Have HENRY found a solution to reverse the trend? Their results so far are extremely promising. Today, I talk to Chief Executive of HENRY, Kim Roberts about the amazing work that HENRY does and what they have achieved so far. HENRY believes that the problem doesn’t just lie in what people are eating and tries to work with parents to create healthy environments. Kim explains that empathy before education is key and that HENRY takes a holistic approach to helping families become healthier and happier. The practitioners that HENRY trains have reported that they too have benefited from the training and have made positive change in their lives. HENRY’s approach echoes my own approach when tackling health of families and I believe that if it was available to all families, we would be a happier, healthier nation. At a time when childhood obesity is on the rise and we are at risk of our children having a lower life expectancy than their parents, it has never been more imperative to talk about these issues. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Further learning:

• Impact report – A visual look at the impact HENRY’s work has had over 10 years on families, communities, and cities
• Commissioner guide – An overview of the services HENRY can provide for local families and the practitioners who support them
• Evidence-base & approach summary – A high-level overview of the theoretical underpinning for HENRY’s work and links to papers published in peer-reviewed journals about its long-term impact on the lifestyle of children and their parents.
• Healthy eating video – A 15-minute video for parents on how they can help their child eat healthily and develop happier, stress-free mealtimes.
• Top tips – HENRY’s top tips on a whole range of subjects that support a healthy start, including introducing solid foods, happier mealtimes and bedtimes, healthy teeth, eating well for less, and ‘boosting our batteries’.
• HENRY resources – A wide range of print resources for practitioners and parents to support a healthy start in life – including HENRY’s A Healthy Start practitioner handbook by Kim Roberts and Mary Rudolf.
• Donate – HENRY is a registered charity – if you would like to support children to have a healthy start in life please consider a one-off or regular donation
• What’s on – Find out about HENRY programs and workshops running near you.

Articles:

• The Guardian – My organisation helped Leeds lower child obesity. Here’s how to do it nationwide
• The Guardian – Leeds becomes first UK city to lower its childhood obesity rate
• BMJ – What’s behind reduced child obesity in Leeds?