Health at Every Size: Shifting focus from weight to health

Overview

The incidence of obesity in Rochdale is greater than in the North West and other parts of the UK, and is therefore an integral component of Rochdales Public Health agenda. We know that what we’ve done so far hasn’t had the desired impact, and that despite all the efforts, the incidence of obesity is still rising both locally and nationally, increasing risks to health as a result.

Key messages

• A healthy weight is one which does not increase the risk of related diseases or premature deaths for individuals – although this is what we strive for, we recognise that focusing on achieving this ‘healthy weight’ leads to many people feeling helpless about their health.
• Healthy weight is not the sole responsibility of an individual, but depends on many other factors.
• Our ambition for Rochdale residents is to deliver public health interventions which promote long term health habits; eating well, finding enjoyable ways of moving, taking good care of ourselves, feeling good, and developing connections with others as opposed to focusing on weight loss or restrictive eating.

We want to understand about your relationship with health and your weight. The impact it has upon you, and how health professionals, and others make you feel, and how these people speak to you about your weight. We believe that talking about health is more important than talking about weight, and we want to understand how to do this better.