As we continue to expand our health and wellbeing services across the UK, we understand how invaluable community health provision can be when it comes to reducing health inequalities.
From delivering healthy lifestyle services in thriving cities to metropolitan suburbs and post-industrial towns, we understand the unique needs and challenges presented by each location, which is why creating bespoke and innovative solutions tailored to the local area is so vital.
In Bristol, we have been delivering free healthy lifestyle courses for adults and families on behalf of Bristol City Council for the last three years. Through our team of nutritionists and behaviour change experts, the courses provide evidence-based information and support to help people build sustainable dietary habits and implement positive lifestyle changes.
As part of our work in the community, we recently conducted a study using asset-based community development and insight gathering methods to fully understand the experiences and attitudes of local people regarding their health and wellbeing.
Those interviewed were mostly from Black Caribbean, Black African and South Asian communities living in areas of the city with higher levels of deprivation and obesity, such as Easton, Filwood, Hartcliffe and Southmead.
Findings from the report:
Following interviews with more than 150 people, five key topics emerged which included implementing a culturally sensitive and multi-generational approach, creating the right surroundings for people to make healthy choices the default choice, and offering a variety of educational support.
While educational support can be an invaluable tool to sustaining healthy lifestyles, those in our study recognised that knowledge doesn’t always translate into action. As such, it must be supported by environments which offer people opportunities such as hands-on learning, to build healthy habits, improve mental wellbeing and reinforce motivation.
One service user explained: “It’s all well and good telling people about healthy options, but if you can’t keep it consistent because it’s not something you can easily do or access, then it’s pointless.”
In addition, residents emphasised the significance of developing a culturally sensitive approach which included incorporating relevant cuisines, tailored language and showing an understanding of different cultural behaviours and attitudes. Our dedicated team ensure a “one-size-fits-all” approach is avoided, in order to create positive, long-lasting change for people of all ages at different stages of their lives.
Learnings for the future:
As we continue our delivery, this study has provided key practical learnings which will be implemented over the coming months to enhance our existing services and future programmes.
For example, our teams will work closely with communities to produce new, pioneering ‘test and learn’ programmes – reflecting our commitment to placing local voices at the centre of every conversation.
We remain determined to ensure our programmes effectively reflect the social, economic and environmental factors which impact health and wellbeing, and look forward to helping close the gap between the most- and least-deprived communities across the country.
