Using Weighing and Measuring data to inform local strategies

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Using Weighing and Measuring data to inform local
strategies

• Westminster PCT
• London Health Observatory
• 30th March 2007

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Aims of this presentation

• Understand how Westminster PCT secured good
  engagement in the weighing and measuring of
  primary school children and how the data has
  informed their local strategy
• Build on such work, alongside data from the HSfE
  boost, to develop and implement a London wide
  strategy, which the LHO would co-ordinate

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Developing a Local Strategy using Weighing and
Measuring DataElizabeth BegleyCommunity
Services ManagerSian PowellPublic Health SHO
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How the Project was carried out

• Reception data routinely collected
• Year 6 coordinated programme
• -School Nurse named links
• Letters to the Schools through Public Health
• School Nurse briefing

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Results of School Measuring

• 90 Coverage in Westminster Schools has provided
  reliable data.
• Combining both reception and year 6, 18.11 of
  children were obese
• This ranked 2nd of the 24 London PCTs with
  available data
• Highest Southwalk (18.48),
• Lowest Richmond and Twickenham (9.37)
• Mean of 15
• 10 Schools with highest levels of obesity
  selected for either reception class or year 6 (1
  school was represented in both groups).

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Strategic Approach in Promoting Healthy Weight
for the School Population

• Overview by the multi-agency, multi-disciplinary
  Obesity Strategy Group, following Needs
  Assessment and development of Strategy
• Schools Health Promotion Program for all schools
  as part of Westminsters PCT local health agenda
  and Westminsters Children and Young Peoples
  plan
• Schools and Parents the key to making a
  difference
• Built on the Child Health Promotion Program for
  under 5s and the Children Centres.
• Identified Public Health consultant lead
  responsibility.
• Plans for Multi-agency workshop that targeted
  schools ie Kickstart.

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• Targeted Schools Response to Results
• Varied awareness and/or uptake of programmes and
  interventions already available
• Very positive feedback (so far) regarding
  coordinated approach
• Workshops will be helpful to identify individual
  schools needs
• No real concerns regarding stigmatisation but a
  targeted programme will require sensitive
  handling
• Link to deprivation may be an over-simplification
  (some obese children from affluent families)
• Parents key to making a difference

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Summary

• School Measuring program provided Westminster PCT
  with a unique opportunity to monitor
  effectiveness of interventions.
• Coordinated approach through School Health
  Service.
• Data collection Partnership with the Schools.
• Opportunity to target school population to
  promote healthy lifestyle

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Developing a London wide strategy

• Charlotte Fellows
• Public health Information Analyst
• Neeraj Malhotra
• Data Specialist

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Health Survey for England the London Boost

• Boosting the national survey so that results are
  more robust at local authority level
• 200 interviewees per PCT
• Asking questions on childrens BMI, fruit and
  vegetable intake
• Results expected autumn 2007
• Inner London/Outer London Spearhead/non-spearhead
  prevalence by socio-economic status and other
  variables such as ethnicity, age group

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Weighing and measuring 2005/06

• Data collection in London
• The National Child Obesity Database (NCOD)
  provides aggregated and disaggregated data for
  all London PCTs that uploaded their information.
• 22 PCTs uploaded both Reception and Year 6 data
• 3 PCTs uploaded one of the years data
• 6 PCTs did not upload any data.
• There were data quality issues with the uploaded
  information and data collection overall
  including
• Data recording
• Inconsistent data collection
• Coverage
• For a more detailed look at data quality issues
  see LHO handout and SEPHO report found at
  http//www.apho.org.uk/apho/publications/childhood
  obesity.pdf)

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Key questions/issues

• How useful is last years data for a London
  regional analysis?
• analysing just NCOD data does not provide added
  worth to analyses already carried out by SEPHO
• We will need additional information from PCTs to
  add detail and prove a richer picture of London
• Do PCTs hold extra information that was not
  uploaded or displayed? Additional information
  that we already aware of
• Full datasets for the PCTs that did not upload
  the data to NCOD but did collect the information.
• Reasons why children were not measured.
• Height and weight
• Postcode and/or ethnicity data may have been
  collected by some PCTs. At present two are known
  to LHO Havering and Hounslow PCT.
• A valuable and important source of information to
  carry out a small area analysis across London
  linking in with data, for example, deprivation.
• Is there any other information that PCTs
  collected but did not upload to NCOD?
• Will PCTs be collecting postcode data in this
  years collection?

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Possible approach in London for discussion

• LHO to gather and validate/clean data for London
  PCTs
• is this a feasible idea?
• Would PCTs be willing to share their data with
  LHO for this purpose as well as a London
  analysis.
• If this is feasible we could make a comparison
  with the London Boost data when available.
• Any good practice to share with others in
  successfully collecting the information,
  especially postcode information?
• Proposal of initial data analysis in LHO handout
  - this is not a definitive list, what else should
  be included?
• Please email cbowles_at_lho.org.uk for further
  information