Informing a Public Health Wales obesity prevention programme

 

Public Health Wales has identified 10 Steps which impact upon whether a child is a healthy weight when they reach the age of five and developed a programme of work (10 Steps to a Healthy Weight) to improve the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of parents, carers and grandparents in relation to the 10 Steps.

To obtain an understanding of the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of parents and carers of children aged 0-5 in relation to overweight and obesity, and the factors that influence this, Public Health Wales commissioned Beaufort Research to undertake a telephone survey of a demographically representative sample of 1,500 parents and carers of children aged 0 to 5 in Wales.

The research provided insight on parental understanding of health impacts of being overweight or obese at age 5 (e.g. diet, sleep, breastfeeding, outside play, screen time); knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in relation to the identified factors that influence children being overweight; and revealed differences in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours by age, geographical areas, ethnicity, and employment status of parents and carers.

This survey informed a programme of work in relation to obesity prevention, enabling Public Health Wales to target resources effectively, and ongoing, the survey will enable monitoring and evaluation of the 10 Steps to a Healthy Weight programme.

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