Saving Lives Through Changing Behaviour

Fresh food, more exercise and no smoking.  These are some of the choices we need to make in order to lead a healthy lifestyle, which is sustainable in the long term.

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) http://www.rsph.org.uk/ has responded to the Government’s White Paper, by developing a suite of training programmes on Behaviour Change designed specifically to support health and well being professionals to deliver these messages effectively as part of their behaviour change strategy. 

Professor Richard Parish, Chief Executive of RSPH comments:

“It is our belief that spreading skills and knowledge in this area will have a direct effect on driving behaviour change and reducing health inequalities, resulting in healthier communities across the country.”

Rises in obesity, diabetes, heart disease and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), alongside problems associated with unhealthy eating, drinking and smoking habits, have placed our health service under huge pressure.  As many health conditions are both preventable and avoidable, we have a responsibility to ensure that we intervene and steer people towards healthier lifestyle choices.  This not only positively impacts the wellbeing of the individual but also their communities.

Preventing avoidable conditions is better for both the patient and the health service, but the approach differs depending on the time available, the skill of the individual and the nature of the contact.

The programmes are tailored to help everyone and range from a short introduction for frontline staff right through to strategic planning for leaders and managers.

Influencing Behaviour Change

An introduction to communication and sign-posting

This one day workshop for front-line staff explores the potential improvements they could make to community health by influencing changes to behaviour. Drawing on motivational interviewing techniques and a variety of communication styles, participants will gain a clear understanding of how they can increase the impact of everyday contact with their community.

Making Every Contact Count

An introduction to the Behaviour Change competence framework

This half day programme introduces participants to the competence framework which has been developed by NHS Yorkshire and The Humber. It is designed for use at all levels of experience and provides a common approach against which skills can be assessed, either within a single programme or for an entire workforce. This will enable individuals to identify gaps in their knowledge, Commissioners to address weaknesses in their provision, and Service Providers to offer exactly what is needed.

To find out more about RSPH’s programmes on Behaviour Change please contact Gina Mohajer on gmohajer@rsph.org.uk 020 7265 7327or visit http://www.rsph.org.uk/en/training-solutions/index.cfm

World Cancer Day - 4 February 2011

Recommendations to help reduce the risk of cancer

This year World Cancer Day falls on Friday 4th February.  The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the disease and to help people take the right steps to prevent them from getting Cancer. 

The most up to date statistics on Cancer rates and deaths are available from GLOBOCAN 2008  published in June 2010.  According to GLOBOCAN around 12.7 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer each year and 7.6 million people die from the disease.  It has been estimated that if people do not take the necessary precautions to limit the risk of getting cancer, 26 million people could be diagnosed with the disease by 2030.  

However, figures taken from the official World Cancer Day website also shows that 20 to 30 percent of all cancers can be prevented and one third can be cured by early diagnosis and treatment.  Thus the aim of the one day event is to help people understand that by changing ones lifestyle they can prevent cancer and live a healthier and longer life.

Below are some of the recommended steps to help prevent cancer:

1. Drink less Alcohol
It is widely acknowledged that alcohol abuse has a major impact on public health. It is ranked as the fifth leading risk factor for premature death and disability in the world. 
Although the link between alcohol and cancer is still not completely understood, there is an association found between alcohol and mouth, oesophageal, laryngeal, pharyngeal, breast and liver cancers.  Therefore the more alcohol one consumes the higher risk of getting cancer.  
By drinking moderately and keeping within the Governments recommended guidelines can be key in preventing cancer.

2. Maintain a Healthy Diet
Eating healthily and doing regular exercise can be crucial in preventing cancer.
A report published by The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) called Food, Nutrition Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: is the most extensive and comprehensive literature on diet, physical activity and cancer currently available. 

The report which was developed by 21 leading scientists from around the world, put forward 10 recommendations for the prevention of cancer.  Some of these measures included the following:
- To be lean, but not underweight
- Limit consumption of energy dense foods (processed food, high in added sugar, and high in fat)
- Eat more fruit and vegetables
- Limit consumption of red meats (pork, lamb, beef)

3. Do More Exercise
Statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveal that globally there are approximately 1.6 billion adults who are overweight and around 400 million who are clinically obese . It is expected that by 2015 these figures will have risen to 2.3 billion and > 700 million respectively. 
Undeniably, obesity has many health implications such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and it may account for 20-30 percent of several cancers.  As such, experts state that by preventing excessive weight gain by being more active physically, can reduce the risk of many cancers. 
It is recommended that people partake in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day.

4. Avoid Smoking
Statistics from the WHO shows that tobacco is the single biggest cause of cancer in the world.  It is responsible for killing 5 million a year - an average of one person every six seconds.  Smoking is responsible for a quarter of all cancer deaths, including, lung, mouth, throat cancers as well as, liver, pancreas, stomach, breast, bowel, kidney and bladder.
As such, studies continually demonstrate that by stopping tobacco use greatly reduces the risk of cancers and other short and long term health risks. 

Get Healthy!!

The Royal Society for Public health through Training Solutions run a Foundation Programme in Health Improvement.  This particular course offers candidates the opportunity of developing a firm foundation in health improvement while also making aware the health and lifestyle choices that affect personal and public health.  For more information click here or contact Nicolette Smith. 

Obese Pregnant Women - The Health Risks

In a study carried out by the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) "Maternal Obesity in the UK: Findings from a national Project" reveals that one in twenty women are seriously obese when they become pregnant putting their health and that of their baby at risk.

In 2008 the CMACE commenced a three year UK wide Obesity in Pregnancy project.  The project was initiated because of the growing concerns surrounding obesity and the challenge facing maternity services today.  These concerns included i) growing evidence that obesity is associated with increased morbidity and mortality for both mother and baby, ii) that women with obesity were over represented among those who died of direct deaths compared to those who died of indirect deaths, iii) the need for clinical guidance for the care of women with obesity in pregnancy.

The study looked at women who had a body mass index of 35 or more, with 18 to 25 classed as healthy, 25
30 classed as overweight and 30 to 35 obese.  A woman of average 5'5 height would weigh at least 15 stone or 95 kgs to have a BMI of 35 and be classed as severely obese. 

Evidence derived from the report highlighted that women with obesity have an increased risk of pregnancy-related complications and adverse outcomes compared to women with a healthy BMI.  These primarily include higher levels of fetal abnormality, hypertensive disorders, blood pressure problems, diabetes thrombosis, induction of labour, caesarean section and neonatal death.  The report highlighted that stillbirth rate was twice as high for women with a BMI of 35 or more and they were four times as likely to suffer a haemorrhage after birth. 

However, the report also revealed that despite the large number of obese women, maternity units are "under prepared" and do not have the necessary resources to care for obese pregnant women.  It was reported that there is a lack of extra wide wheelchairs, examination couches, trolleys and beds.  With almost one in five obstetric units not having operating tables to bear the extra weight.

Dr Imogen Stephens, CMACE Clinical Director said: “This CMACE report shows that much more needs to be done in the NHS to deal with the growing numbers of obese pregnant women."

"The findings from this new study show that the risks of clinical intervention increase with increasing levels of obesity and that specialist obstetric care is needed. All this requires improved, and better integrated, care for these women”. 

However, the CMACE report also recommended that GP's and primary care health professionals need to do more to encourage women to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle before they conceive. 

Dr Tony Falconer, President of the Royal College if Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said: “Pregnant women who are obese need to know about the associated risks for them and their baby and must be supported to lose weight before they embark on pregnancy. This will involve counselling and advice from a range of healthcare professionals including GPs, midwives, maternity support workers and nutritionists.
"We need to think about being more proactive by encouraging and enabling women to lead healthier lives before they fall pregnant and after giving birth so that they take a more long-term approach to being healthy."

Professor Cathy Warwick, General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives said “There is wider and long-term public health message here. There is a real need to reduce obesity in the population as a whole, tackling the issue before women become pregnant.”

To read the full CMACE report please click here