Welcome

[Name]

[Name]

Health Improvement Team

or….…How to deliver brief

opportunistic advice for

health behaviour change

Objectives

• To increase:

↑ Your knowledge of health and wellbeing issues in the

Wakefield District

↑ Understanding of your role in improving health and

wellbeing

↑ Your confidence to address lifestyle issues through

conversations with clients, colleagues, family, friends

etc

↑ Your ability to support people to manage and improve

their own health and wellbeing

What will we cover today?

Prevention

Activity

Q – What influences our health?

Think about:

• What barriers to good health and wellbeing to do

think people experience?

• What helps people to live healthy lives?

What influences our health

Source: Dahlgren & Whitehead (1991)

Male?

Female?

Age?

Exercise?

Alcohol?

Smoke?

Crime?

Culture?

Poverty?

Income?

Housing?

Green spaces?

Education?

What is the situation in Wakefield

Most deprived areas Least deprived areas

Affordable Warmth in Wakefield

• Cold homes – latest figures (2013) suggest 8.6% of

Wakefield’s households are experiencing fuel

poverty. A fuel poor home is one that has

combination of:

• High fuel costs

• Low income

• Poor home energy efficiency

• Fuel poverty can be linked to cold related illnesses:

• Breathing and lung problems

• Falls

• Mental Health Issues

• Heart attack and stroke

Activity

What are the signs of fuel poverty?

Affordable warmth

• Simple measures can reduce fuel poverty and the incidence of cold-related illnesses:

• Home insulation – loft, cavity wall, tank jacket, double glazing, draught proofing

• Efficient heating – condensing boiler, heating controls

• Energy switching – better deals by changing gas and electric suppliers

• Fuel costs – allowances and emergency funds to help with fuel costs

Mental Health in Wakefield

• Approximately 10% of people in Wakefield have a

common mental health disorder (e.g. depression,

anxiety)

• Mental health is worse for people living in the most

deprived areas of the district

• Mental wellbeing strongly linked to overall health levels

and to social and economic factors

Activity

Why is it important to have good

mental wellbeing?

What are the common signs of a

mental health problem?

Activity

Top Tips – what can I do?

Helpful behaviours

• Be patient

• Active listening

• Show your support

• Ask how you can help

• Be open-minded

Helpful advice to give

• Maintain social life

• Use peer support

• Be active

• Enjoy the outdoors

• Volunteer

Physical activity in Wakefield

• Most adults (73%) do not do the recommended level of

activity for health benefits

• Most primary and secondary school children were not

doing physical activity 3 or more times a week

• 54% of adults in Wakefield want to do more exercise

Physical activity

• Adults active ……………………………….

• 5 to 18yrs active …………………………………….

• Under 5’s active …………………………………………..

Do you know the

recommended levels?

Activity

What are the benefits of

having an active lifestyle?

How can people include more

activity in their day-to-day life?

Activity

Physical Activity – Top Tips

• Take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator

• Get off the bus or train one stop earlier and walk the rest

of the way

• Walk to the shops instead

of taking the car

• Take a walk at lunch time

• Take up an active hobby such as cycling or walking

• Jobs around the house e.g. gardening and DIY.

• Low levels of healthy eating in Wakefield, with many people

having poor knowledge of healthy food and few cooking

skills

• Only 21.2% of adults in Wakefield meet government

recommendations on healthy eating

• 65% of children want to eat a healthier diet – they want to

change!

Nutrition in Wakefield

Quiz time!

Do you know your

apples from your

oranges?

Activity

What advice would you

give for eating a balanced

diet?

Activity

• Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables

• Prepare your own meals to avoid eating

processed foods

• Swap full fat for low fat dairy alternatives

• Reduce your intake of sugary foods and drinks

• Avoid processed foods and takeaways

• Reduce the amount of salt you add to meals

Nutrition – Top Tips

Smoking in Wakefield

• 23% of the Wakefield adult population smoke (approximately 60,000 smokers)

• But…… 70% of the smokers want to stop at some point

What are the physical health

benefits of stopping

smoking?

Activity

• Save money – Smoke free | Cost calculator

• Protect your family – dangers of secondhand

smoke

Other benefits of stopping smoking

Smoking – Top Tips to Quit

• Write a list of the reasons you want to stop

• Distraction

• Take one day at a time

• Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms

• When you quit, your appetite improves - think about what

you are eating to control weight gain (try sugar free gum

or eat fruit as a snack)

Alcohol use in Wakefield

• Alcohol related admissions show a high correlation with

areas of deprivation. The majority of the district showing

levels above the England average

• Wakefield is worse for all indictors of alcohol-related harm

• Around a third of those who drink at excess levels are

concerned and plan to reduce their drinking but less than

5% think they need help to do it

Myth-buster

Quiz!

True or False

Activity

Alcohol Units

• What is a unit?

• Units calculator - Unit and Calorie Calculator

• Recommended daily units:

3-4 units

2-3 units

What are the benefits of

cutting down alcohol

intake?

Activity

Alcohol Use - Top tips

Consider drinking a non-alcoholic drink to quench your

thirst before having alcohol

Pace yourself – set a limit and stick to it

Try to eat when you drink as you’ll drink less

Reduce the number of days when you drink more than 1-2

units

Try non-alcoholic wine/beer or alternate with soft drinks

• Resist pressures to drink more

Sexual Health in Wakefield

• HIV and gonorrhoea diagnosis in Wakefield are slightly lower that the national average

• Wakefield Chlamydia diagnosis in the 15 – 24 age group is higher than national average

• Syphilis infections in Wakefield are the same across the UK

Myth-buster

Quiz!

True or False

Activity

Sexual Health - Advice & Support

• Websites and online resources

• Local sexual health services:

• CASH clinics

• Well Womens centre

• Yorkshire MESMAC

Key communication skills:

• Active listening

• Open questioning

• Reflection and clarification

Starting the conversation

3 steps to making every contact count

• ASK Ask questions if people raise the

issue. Raise an issue if an opportunity

presents itself

• ADVISE Give messages about healthy lifestyles

and tips on how to achieve them

• ACT Signpost people who are keen to know

more or who need more support to

local agencies

Activity - Conversations

In pairs/groups:

Discuss the scenario and for each one consider:

• How would you respond? What questions would

you ask to gather more information?

• Is it appropriate to offer advice? If so, what advice

would you give?

• Is it appropriate to signpost? If so, where would

you signpost to?

Other issues to be aware of

• Safeguarding

• Long term Conditions

• Dementia

• Health Manager

Thank You

Contact Details:

Georgina Swift

01924 306698

georginaswift@wakefield.gov.uk

Helen Laird

01924 304265

helenlaird@wakefield.gov.uk