Change4Life local
local
supporter’s guide
guide
How to help people in your
community make changes for
a happier, healthier future
About this guide
guide
This is an updated Change4Life local supporter’s guide. If you’ve read the previous guide, you’ll
know it was all about helping families – especially children – to eat well, move more and live longer.
We’ve now researched and developed some strategies to help adults adopt a healthier lifestyle.
So whether you work with children, families, adults or all of the above, this new guide contains
everything you need to begin helping them make changes for a healthier and happier life.
Contents
About this guide
Change4Life – now it’s for everyone
What can you do?
How does Change4Life work?
8 healthy behaviours for children
6 healthy behaviours for adults
How will you support Change4Life?
Resources to help you
What’s new on the Change4Life website?
2
2
3
4
5
6-8 9-10
11-12
13-14
15
Change4Life – now
it’s for everyone
Change4Life is the nationwide movement with a mission to help us all reduce the amount of fat in
our bodies.
Having too much fat in our bodies increases our chances of developing serious illnesses such as
type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. And because modern life makes it harder to eat healthy
food and get enough exercise, the number of people with a dangerous amount of body fat is
growing fast.
Focusing on kids...
Change4Life began by focusing on families with young children, because the habits we get into
when we’re young can lead to health problems in the future. In fact, according to the Government’s
Foresight report, if we carry on as we are, 9 out of 10 of our kids will grow up to have dangerous
amounts of fat in their bodies.
...and now adults too
But adults need to keep an eye on the amount of fat in their bodies as well. Many adults find that
they gain a little weight each year, as they gradually become less active but fail to eat less to
compensate.
But there’s good news. Change4Life offers simple, practical strategies to help us all live healthier
lives, based on the recommendations of Government health experts. And across the UK, people are
already feeling the benefit of making a Change4Life.
3
What can you do?
do?
Since Change4Life launched to the public in January 2009 the campaign has become a household
name with over 400,000 families signing up to date.
But some of the people who most need to make changes can be hard to persuade. They may need
extra support in understanding the Change4Life messages or respond better to them when they
hear them from someone they know. And of course, we all find it easier to get into good habits
(and stick to them!) when we know the people around us are doing the same – look at how
recycling rates have improved in recent years.
That’s why Change4Life needs people like you.
Maybe you are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
a school, extended schools service
or working with schools
a Sure Start Children’s Centre
or nursery manager
a GP practice manager, nurse,
dietician or health visitor
a childminder
a local authority
a local business
Whether you’re a professional or a volunteer, if you work with children, adults or both, you could
help pass on Change4Life information and support people in making changes to their diet and
physical activity habits. Turn to page 11 to find ideas tailored to your work.
4
How does Change4Life work?
work?
In general, whether we’re an adult or a child, we all need to eat more healthily and be more active
to give ourselves the best chance of a healthy, happy future. So there are lots of similarities
between the Change4Life recommendations for adults and those for children. However, there are
some differences because:
a) the health needs of a child are not exactly the same as those of an adult
b) their lifestyles will be different
c) children (and of course, the parents and carers making decisions for them) will have different
motivations and barriers to being healthy compared with adults.
Change4Life for families with young children
Parents and other carers make most of the decisions about what children eat and drink and have
a big influence over how physically active they are. So it’s these adults we need to work with –
starting by understanding how they feel about their family’s diet and activity habits.
Here’s what families told us in research and how the Change4Life campaign for families has been
designed to overcome their barriers.
family...
“It’s not a problem for my e media and it’s about
esity in th
...I’ve heard about child ob t. My children look fine.”
children who look really fa
understand:
e issue’, helping parents to
Change4Life ‘reframes th
lo o k
dy, not how their children
bo
e
th
in
fat
is
ue
iss
e
th
• that
rious
and an increased risk of se
dy
bo
e
th
in
fat
n
ee
tw
be
• the link
grow up
illnesses when their children
for every
in the body more of a risk
fat
s
ke
ma
life
rn
de
mo
w
• ho
g
criticism of their parentin
family – there’s no implied
“Our habits aren’t that unhealthy”
Change4Life research found that many
parents aren’t aware of some of their
family’s less healthy habits. They often
underestimate how much their family eats
and overestimate how active they are.
In Year 1, Change4Life used a special survey
called ‘How are the kids?’ to understand the
healthy behaviours that families found especially
challenging to adopt. Using this information,
we designed a series of toolkits to help local
supporters encourage families to make
specific changes.
“Healthy
for famil living isn’t
ies like u
s...
...it’s for
fa m il i
es w ho h
m o re ti m
ave
co-opera e/money/
tive kids
!”
Change4
Lif
parents w e doesn’t tell
h
them a w at to do – it offer
s
id
tips base e range of ideas a
d a ro u n d
nd
8 h e a lt h y
b e h a v io u
rs
choose t so that they can
he
work bes ones which will
t fo r t h e
ir family.
5
8 Healthy behaviours
for children
Sugar Swaps – simple ways to help kids eat less sugar
Parents are usually aware that eating and drinking sugary things can
damage teeth. But they’re often not aware that excess sugar can mean
excess energy which in turn can lead to stored fat in the body and an
increased risk of diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Example tip: more than a quarter of the added sugar in kids’ diets comes
from sugary drinks. So swapping to water, milk (ideally semi-skimmed,
but remember children under 2 need full-fat milk), sugar-free drinks,
sugar-free squash or unsweetened fruit juice really makes a difference.
ied
5 A DAY – smart ways to get even the pickiest kids eating
Meal Time – making time for 3 regular meals: breakfast,
lunch and dinner
Giving kids 3 balanced meals every day helps to make sure they get all
the nutrients they need. But the pressures of modern life mean that
many families are rushing and eating on the go.
Example tip: eating at regular times means kids will know when the next
meal is coming – and won’t pester as much for snacks!
Snack Check – simple ways to reduce unhealthy snacking
Many snacks contain high levels of fat, sugar or salt. What’s more, kids
who fill up on snacks are less likely to eat their meals.
Example tip: many families find that setting a limit on snacks and treats
is a great way of keeping a lid on their kids’ snacking.
6
ced
Example tip: did you know that canned, frozen, 100% unsweetened juice
and dried fruit and veg all count towards 5 A DAY? Buying canned and
frozen fruit and veg can really help you keep the cost down, because
they don’t go off as quickly.
jui
Everyone knows that fruit and veg are good for kids. But many parents
don’t know the simple tricks that make it easy to get kids – even picky
eaters – eating fruit and veg. And this means their kids are missing out on
vital vitamins and minerals.
dr
more fruit and veg
fresh
d
ne
n
ca
frozen
Me Size Meals – making sure kids eat the right sized
portions for their age
Many parents encourage their kids to clear their plates, even when
this means carrying on eating when they feel full up. But when we eat
more than we need, the extra food turns into stored fat.
Example tip: cereal bowls can be much bigger these days and we
may fill them to the top without thinking about it. But remember
the kids are copying us. So why not start using smaller bowls?
Cut Back Fat – easy ways to lower the fat in your family’s diet
Eating too much fat is bad for us, as most parents know. But when it
comes to understanding which foods contain high levels of fat,
many parents lack knowledge. And this means they may be risking
their children’s health.
Example tip: did you know that grilled fish fingers have much less
fat than fried fish fingers? And trimming the fat off bacon can
reduce its fat by about a half?
60 Active Minutes – keeping your kids active, healthy and happy
It’s easy for parents to overestimate how much physical activity
their kids are doing. Kids actually spend a lot of the day at school
sitting, so it’s important that they are active after school. If not,
they risk converting calories into excess fat in their bodies.
Example tip: dance to the radio, or in front of the TV – all you
need is a great tune and you and your kids can have fun
dancing anywhere.
Up & About – how to limit ‘vegging out’ and make sure your kids are active
We all need to move about to burn off calories and kids are no
exception. Setting a daily time limit for sedentary activities is a
good way for parents to make sure their kids are active.
Example tip: some families have found that setting a limit of ‘2
hours max’ of screen time each day helps make sure their kids jump
up and play or go outside after they’ve been sitting still for a while.
ife
t the Change4L
Read more abou ilies with young
m
behaviours for fa lots more tips at
d
children and fin ge4life
an
www.nhs.uk/ch
7
Change4Life for adults
Unless we’re careful, most of us find we gain weight as we get older. But middle aged spread
doesn’t have to be inevitable! The recommendations in the Change4Life campaign for adults are
there for all adults to follow – either to help lose the extra pounds we’ve already gained or to
avoid putting on weight in the first place.
Unlike children, most adults who are carrying extra fat in their bodies are only too aware of it –
they can see the difference compared to the trimmer figure they had when they were younger.
But this doesn’t mean they’re necessarily any keener to do anything about it...
Here’s what adults told us in research – and how the Change4Life campaign is taking a new
approach to help them.
work for me”
’t
on
d
ns
la
p
se
ci
er
ex
d
an
“Diets
weight before and their
d failed to lose
Many adults have tried an with all sorts of negative feelings. ‘Fad’ diets
experiences have left them ll us to give up all the things we like eating,
and exercise plans often te kes them hard to stick to long term and makes
drinking and doing. This magood work by slipping back to our old ways.
it all too easy to undo the
u can swap
yo
up all the things you love,
ing
giv
of
d
tea
ins
t:
en
fer
d on 6 healthy
Change4Life is dif
s of swaps suggested, base
lot
are
ere
Th
d.
tea
ins
s
individual makes
some thing
aps that work for you as an
sw
e
th
se
oo
ch
to
le
ab
behaviours. Being
tly.
o your daily life permanen
it easier to build them int
“I’d rather enjoy life
than worry about th now
e future”
Many
adults not on
as hard work, they ly see healthy living
attitude to illnessesalso have a fatalistic
and diabetes – they like heart disease
can influence their don’t believe they
developing them in chances of
threat of developin the future. So the
isn’t enough to mot g serious illnesses
more healthily now ivate them to live
.
The Change4Life sw
aps are designed to
produce benefits al
most straight away
. By
making a few swap
s, many people find
that
they quickly start to
feel better, sleep be
tter
and have more ener
gy – as well as losing
a
bit
of weight. This can
be more motivationa
l than
the long term health
benefits.
8
“I don’t want to be the
only one doing it”
The adults Change4Life interviewed
told us that if they were going to
make changes to their diet and
activity levels, having support was
really important to them. Partners,
families, friends and colleagues all
had the potential to ‘make or break’
their good intentions.
The Change4Life behaviours and
suggested swaps are healthy for all adults
to follow – not just those who want to lose
a bit of weight. So employers will be
offered the chance to use the campaign to
improve the health of their staff, and
adults signing up to Change4Life online
will be offered materials to pass on to
their friends and family. And of course,
your support within your local community
is immensely valuable.
6 Healthy behaviours
for adults
Swaps to get you up and about – how to build activity into your
day, your way
Many of us don’t like the idea of doing exercise. It might be that we are too busy, feeling tired
and achy, or simply can’t face the thought of it.
The good news is that building activity into your day actually gives you more
energy, strengthens joints so you don’t feel so achy, can be fun and can also
help you feel better about yourself. All movement counts – sit less, move
more and gradually build up to doing 30 minutes of moderate activity, 5
times a week. The name of the game is to try to get your heart beating faster
and your lungs working a bit harder for at least 10 minutes at a time.
Example swap: swapping your usual bus or car journey for walking or cycling
is a great way to build up to 5 x 30 minutes activity a week.
Portion swap – how swapping portions can help prevent us from eating too
many calories
Many of us were brought up to finish the food on our plate. The problem is, these days larger portions
of food are more readily available (in convenience food, restaurants and at
home) and we are eating more foods that are high in fat or sugar. This means we
often end up eating too much energy and not burning it off – without even
realising we’re doing it and this can eventually lead to weight gain.
There are lots of swaps you can make to make sure you aren’t accidentally
eating too much. In fact, making portion swaps is one of the easiest things
you can do to be healthy.
Example swap: swap bigger plates for smaller plates and it’ll help you stick
to a smaller portion. (It’ll look like you have more food too.)
Snack swap – how to stay healthy without giving up all snacks
When we are busy, distracted or bored we often look for a snack – and that means we sometimes
don’t realise how many snacks we have eaten. The problem is that our bodies are geared up for
storing fat, so eating fatty and sugary snacks is a very quick way of
adding to our fat stores.
That doesn’t mean we have to stop eating snacks altogether. Instead,
try making some swaps to keep from over-snacking on unhealthy foods.
Example swap: eating straight out of a big packet (e.g. a jumbo bag of
crisps) can make us eat more without even realising. Try putting a
portion into a bowl instead.
9
Swap for 5 A DAY – how to make sure you hit your 5 A DAY, every day
We all know that eating at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day is important for our
health. But you might be surprised how easy it can be. And the great thing is, you don’t
need to radically change your diet or do without the things you love. Just add a portion of
veg here, sprinkle a portion of fruit there – and you’ll hit your 5
before you know it!
Remember, it’s not just fresh fruit and veg that count – frozen and
canned fruit and veg, dried fruit and 100% unsweetened fruit juice
all count too. For adults, a portion of fruit or veg is 80 grams
(about 3 ounces). You can find more information on portion sizes by
visiting www.nhs.uk/5aday
Example swap: swap one of your daily cups of tea or coffee for a
glass of unsweetened 100% fruit juice.
Fibre swap – how to find fibre and why it’s important
We’ve all heard of fibre and know it helps keep us regular. But most of us don’t really
know why it’s important or where to find it. Fibre is only found in foods which come
from plants e.g. fruit and vegetables, seeds, grains and pulses. It
protects us from constipation and clears the gut so that nasty
substances don’t hang around for so long. Fibre can also help to
reduce blood cholesterol.
And because foods containing fibre fill us up for longer they make
us much less likely to overeat. This helps us to control our weight.
Example swap: white bread contains very little fibre, so swap your
white toast for wholemeal or wholegrain toast.
Drink swap – how to cut down on calories in drinks, without
having to say ‘no’
Most of us enjoy a drink. And indeed, having the odd drink isn’t
bad for us. But we often forget that many of the drinks we have,
both alcoholic and non alcoholic, contain calories and these can
really add up.
Making some drinks swaps means we can cut down on some of the calories
in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks without having to say ‘no’.
Example swap: a good way to cut down on alcohol calories is to have a
smaller glass of wine topped up with soda water.
ife
t the Change4L
Read more abou ults and find lots
d
behaviours for a w.nhs.uk/change4life
w
more swaps at w
10
How will you
support Change4Life?
How you get involved with Change4Life is up to you. It will depend on things like who you work
with, how and where you work and what sort of activities are particularly suited to your role.
Here are 5 suggestions to give you some ideas.
1. Chat about Change4Life
One of the most important things you can do to support the campaign is also one of the easiest.
Simply telling adults or families with young children that you’re supporting the campaign and
directing them to more information (search Change4Life online and clicking
on the ‘partners and supporters’ area) is a great way to help.
If you’re a GP or practice nurse... passing on Change4Life
information doesn’t necessarily need a long conversation. You could
simply let patients know that you’re getting behind the campaign and
give them information to take away, such as one of our downloadable
leaflets. These can also be used to start a difficult conversation about
weight with a patient.
2. Hand out or display Change4Life information
If you’ve got access to a notice board, a waiting room or a spare bit of wall,
why not put up some Change4Life posters? Or could you hand out leaflets
for people to take away and read? You can download both from the
Partner Tools area of the Change4Life website (partners & supporters).
If you’re a school or Sure Start Children’s Centre
could you get the
children to make a Change4Life display? There are lots of Change4Life
materials to help you get started, or you could get the children to create
pictures of their favourite healthy foods or ways of being active.
We su
Chang pport
e4Life
11
3. Use the Change4Life logo
Do you create leaflets, posters or newsletters keeping adults or families with young children
informed? Do you have a website or send emails out? Any and all of these are an easy way to let
people know you’re supporting Change4Life, simply by
downloading our logo from our website and adding it to
them. Register online as a local supporter now to be given
access to logos and other design assets.
If you’re a local business
what customer communications do
you produce that you could add a Change4Life logo to? If
you’re informing your customers about healthy food or drink,
or about ways of being active, why not include our logo and
remind them about Change4Life too?
4. Provide Change4Life information in your communications
Along with our downloadable logos, there are short pieces of Change4Life
text available, aimed at both adult and family audiences. They’ll explain what
the campaign is all about and how to find out more and they’re ideal for
dropping into your newsletter, email or website update.
If you’re a local authority
could you find space in your next newsletter or on
your website for some Change4Life information? The pieces of Change4Life
text available on our website are ideal for letting both your staff and your
local residents know that you’re supporting the campaign and how to get
involved. And don’t forget to use the downloadable Change4Life logos!
5. Use a Change4Life toolkit to run an activity
The Change4Life activity toolkits are full of ideas to help you plan and run activities. Whether
you’re looking for something to complement your usual work or fancy trying a completely new
activity, you’ll find all the resources you need. You’ll find
the activity toolkits on the Partner Tools area of our
website (partners & supporters). If you’re a childminder could you use the Walk4Life toolkit
to make walks to and from school more exciting? Or get
children trying healthier breakfast options using the
Breakfast4Life toolkit?
12
Resources to help you
you
As a local supporter of Change4Life you’ll have access to all sorts of exciting and useful materials
to help you spread the word to the adults or families with young children that you work with. Here
are some of the things you might find useful.
Working with adults
The following materials are available for download from the Partner Tools area of the Change4Life
website. They have been designed as part of a toolkit for employers, but are available for all local
supporters to use in community settings.
Posters to put up: 9 different posters, each featuring different simple swaps that the adults you
work with could make and the benefits of making them. Plus there’s a personalisable poster for you
to promote your own swaps ideas.
Leaflets to give out: 12-page A5 colour leaflet, containing information on the 6 behaviours, plus
some swaps to get started. There’s also a Challenges Guide with 4 ready to run challenges for staff
to engage with.
There are 2 ways to get copies of this leaflet:
1. Download and print the single-sided version (arranged as 7 x A4 pages)
2. Email c4lpartnership@dh.gsi.gov.uk
to have the leaflet artwork sent
to you for professional printing
‘Table talkers’: designed to be put out on tables, challenging adults
to think about the food, drink and activity choices they make. If
you’re downloading and printing this piece, you’ll need to fold and
secure each A4 sheet to make a triangular standing card.
Tray liners for meal trays: if your work involves offering food or
drinks, you could place these A4 sheets on the trays, to get adults
thinking about the food and drink they’re choosing.
Written information for your communications: if you produce
newsletters or a magazine and would like to include information
about Change4Life for adults, you are welcome to use these pieces
of editorial content, available in various lengths.
13
Working with families with young children
Since the Change4Life campaign for families launched over a year ago lots more resources for local
supporters have been developed. So if you haven’t checked out the Partner Tools area of the
Change4Life website for a while, do take a fresh look.
Activity toolkits: a range of toolkits have been created to help you plan and run activities to
promote specific changes. Each one contains background information on why the change is
important, plus a choice of activities that you could run with families, including what you’ll need
and who the activity is most suitable for. These are the activity toolkits now available to download:
•
•
•
•
Breakfast4Life toolkit
Swim4Life toolkit
Walk4Life toolkit
Bike4Life toolkit
•
•
•
Play4Life toolkit
Let’s Dance with Change4Life
Change4Life schools pack
Early Years toolkit: if you work with families with children under 5, you may find useful
information in this to pass onto parents.
Posters, leaflets, wallcharts and activity sheets: useful, informative resources for
parents and children to help them make Change4Life behaviours part of their
everyday family life.
Written information for your communications: if you produce newsletters or
a magazine and would like to include information about Change4Life for
families with young children, you are welcome to use these pieces of
editorial content, available in various lengths.
Resources for all local supporters
Whether you work with families or adults, the following resources are available to help you
support Change4Life.
Logos, images and other assets: we’ll make it easy for you to badge your communications to show
you’re supporting Change4Life. Everything you’ll need is available for download from our website
but you will need to register as a local supporter to access them.
FAQs: Need an answer? The first place to look is the FAQs on the partners & supporters area of our
website. If you can’t find your question or you’d prefer to speak to a member of the Change4Life
team by phone, you can call our local supporter helpline on 0300 123 3434*.
Things to remember as a local supporter
Campaign terms: by using the Change4Life tools and resources, you agree to be bound by the
campaign terms. If you do not agree to be bound by all of the terms please do not access and/or
use the tools.
Diet AND physical activity: evidence suggests that the only effective means of preventing
rising levels of fat in the body is by being vigilant about both ‘calories in’ (diet) and
‘calories out’ (physical activity). So it’s important that, as a supporter, you encourage
changes in behaviour in both diet and activity levels. Don’t worry if your usual work
or activities focus on one area and you don’t feel confident talking about the other.
You don’t need to become an expert in a new subject – all we ask is that you tell
people that both diet and activity levels are important, and sign-post them to where
they can find out more.
14
What’s new on the
Change4Life website?
New tools, information and activities for the general public are constantly being added to the
Change4Life website. So it’s worth checking back regularly to see what new things you could be
recommending to the families or adults you work with – or even what could be useful for you!
New for families with young children
•
•
•
•
•
Recipe book: healthy, easy recipes for each meal of the day
What’s for breakfast?: a great tool to help families get a good start to the day
Use your feet: a useful tool to help families get up & about
Ideas for healthy snacks: lots of tips plus what’s worked for other families
Active holiday planner: helping families plan holiday activities
New for adults
•
•
•
More information on the 6 Change4Life behaviours
and why they’re healthy
Lots of swap suggestions for each of the behaviours
The Welcome Pack to help adults work out which swaps
will make the biggest difference to them
Don’t forget Start4Life
If you’re a midwife or health visitor, Sure Start Children’s Centre,
childminder or nursery manager and can help new parents give their
baby the best possible start in life, search Start4Life online. Start4Life has
the most up-to-date information and recommendations on breastfeeding,
introducing solid foods and active play and is full of tips and advice to
help parents.
15
By registering as a local supporter you will receive regular
updates about the campaign and new resources that become
available. Registering also gives you access to Change4Life
logos and images for use in your own materials.
To register, search Change4Life and click on
‘partners & supporters’
*Calls to 03 numbers should cost no more than geographic 01 or 02 calls, and may be part of inclusive minutes subject to
your provider and your call package.
© Crown copyright 2010. Produced by COI for the Department of Health.