Sport England

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Official Launch of MEND

LONDON KIDS TOP THE SCALES

MEND - UK’s largest ever healthy lifestyle programme for overweight kids targets London

LONDON CHILDREN are more overweight than anywhere else in the country, child health experts warned today. But the good news for the capital’s families is that a solution is out there, thanks to investment from Sport England.

Sports Minister Richard Caborn MP visited Eastlea Community School in Newham to help launch a scheme to tackle obesity in the capital on February 21st 2007.

Poor diet and a lack of understanding about healthy living have resulted in eighteen per cent of London’s children being classified as overweight – two per cent higher than the national average, according to the Health Survey for England 2005. And if current trends in the UK continue, then by 2020 at least 20% of all boys and 33% of all girls will be obese .

But now Sport England has joined forces with MEND, one of the UK's most innovative and effective obesity prevention and treatment programmes, to tackle the problem as part of its drive to create an active nation through sport.

Sport England has contributed £171,800 toward developing the scheme in London, and five boroughs will take part in the groundbreaking programme, designed over five years by experts from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and University College London.

Residents in Hillingdon, Kingston, Kensington and Chelsea, Barnet and Newham will benefit from the community scheme.

Known to be particularly successful in deprived urban areas, the holistic scheme will help children aged 7-13 and their families make life changes in terms of sport and exercise, food, self-confidence and personal development.

In a recent MEND trial a reduction in Body Mass Index (BMI) directly corresponded to the number of hours a week spent on the course.

The trial also showed 48% of the participants came from black and minority ethnic groups.

Attendees will take part in two-hour practical learning sessions twice a week for nine weeks, with a view to achieving a sustained improvement in their diets, fitness levels and overall health.

The sessions comprise of an hour of group discussion and an hour of fun land or water-based sport.

Paul Sacher, Research Director of MEND and until recently a specialist dietician at GOSH, developed the programme with Dr Paul Chadwick, a clinical psychologist at University College London.

Mr Sacher said: “Obesity amongst children is an urgent, growing health epidemic and the problem is accelerating rather than slowing down.

“Evidence shows that diets do not work – and putting young children on diets can be dangerous. The MEND Programme is not a diet but it will help overweight children in London and their families build a foundation for healthy living – for life.”

Andy Sacha, Interim Regional Director of Sport England, London Region, said: “Sport England is committed to creating an active nation through sport and we believe our investment in the MEND Programme can make a real difference to the lives of the children and their families who take part”.

“Sport and exercise are key to healthy living and we hope that more and more boroughs across the capital as well as the rest of country will learn from this innovative project.”

Each MEND Programme uses a unique combination of elements known to treat obesity effectively and ensure long-lasting results:

Mind: understanding and changing unhealthy attitudes and behaviours around food

Exercise: adequate, safe – and above all fun – exercise

Nutrition: enjoyable, practical activities that teach children about healthy eating

Do it: empowering children and their families to put the above into action!

For more information please contact:

Alex Eeles / alexe@launchgroup.co.uk / 020 7758 3928

Tim Maynard / timm@launchgroup.co.uk / 020 7758 3921

Harry MacMillan / harry.macmillan@mendprogramme.org / 0780 609 1405

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Mend:

With an emphasis on practical, fun learning the programme is designed to deliver sustained improvements in families’ fitness levels, diets and overall health.

It is important to note that MEND is NOT a diet, and expressly does not encourage rapid weight loss. Rather, it is about empowerment: putting the child at the centre of a range of ways to make life changes in terms of physical activity, food, self confidence and personal development. By following the MEND principles, participants will lose weight naturally and thereby build a foundation for healthy living – for life.

In 2006 Paul Sacher and other members of the MEND team have been invited speakers at over 20 conferences, including a presentation of latest research results at the four-yearly International Congress on Obesity. In addition Paul, the MEND Programme and participants have gained widespread media coverage – featuring in all major newspapers and UK TV channels – on the basis that it is one of the few interventions that is active in communities making a real difference to people’s lives.

A gathering of research-based childhood obesity interventions in Leeds in summer 2006 revealed that MEND’s results seem to be the best (or equal best) of these and, due to the community-based nature of the programme combined with the train the trainer approach targeting non-specialists, it is likely that MEND is one of the most cost-effective.

Paul Sacher (BSc Med Hons RD), until recently a specialist dietitian at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH), a Clinical Research Fellow at the Institute of Child Health (ICH), the spokesperson for paediatric obesity for the British Dietetic Association, a trustee of the National Obesity Forum and a recognised author on the subject.

Dr. Paul Chadwick (BSc MA DClin Psy), a clinical psychologist at the Health Behaviour Unit at University College London, a recognised expert in the field of childhood obesity and provider of behaviour change training to health professionals in the field.

Sport England:

Sport England is working to create an active nation through sport, providing advice to partners, investing in community sport and promoting sport and its benefits. Our aim is to increase the number of people participating in sport and active recreation by around 2 million by 2012 with specific focus on hard to reach groups that are currently under-represented. Sport England is a non-departmental public body that distributes both Lottery and public funding to develop community sport.

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