It can be tough to make changes but with support you can take control of your weight and improve your health. In this section you can find out more about weight management activities to support those striving for healthy weight and living with obesity in West Yorkshire.
Obesity strategy
In West Yorkshire we are developing an obesity strategy in collaboration with partners across the region. To inform that strategy we have held events to look at what our vision and principles should be. The events were a good way of sharing best practice so we can learn from each other and see what works well for people in West Yorkshire.
We held two events in May 2023 and July 2023. In response to those events we have set up an online Community of Practice: Better supporting people living with obesity and excess weight in West Yorkshire. See our communities of practice pages for dates and more information. For a meeting invite, contact Caroline Robinson caroline.
Co-production and making sure people are at the heart of developing our strategy is important. This will help to make sure that we can secure the long term, transformational change needed to best support those striving for healthy weight and living with obesity.
Watch our videos to find out more.
Living with obesity - a personal perspective
Over two thirds of the population is overweight or obese. Focusing on how we improve the lives of people living with obesity and overweight in West Yorkshire is really important. We know we don’t always get it right. The case studies on this page are a stark reminder of that.
We work with partners from across the partnership to co-produce our principles and shared values. By understanding why health and care services have not been able to fully support people to live a healthy weight and involving people in designing services we can find out what people need and what we need to change.
Working together we now know we need co-produced services which are culturally competent and striving for equity - services which focus on reducing health inequalities and view obesity as the long term, chronic condition it is. We know all care provided must be trauma informed and person centred, accessible, inclusive and stigma reducing. To work towards these principles we are taking a West Yorkshire wide and whole life course approach, putting the individual at the heart of what we do.
Co-production and partnership working is essential for success. We know listening and being heard is so important to getting this right and improving health for everyone. Many people in our region have a story to tell. Read some of those stories to find out more.
In this section you can hear directly from those with experience of obesity and overweight, the stigma, the stereotypes, the judgements and the need to look at the bigger picture and underlying issues. These are real stories but we have changed people names.
NHS Digital Weight Management Programme
The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, or DWMP, is a 12-week, evidence-based healthy lifestyle change service available to all those living with obesity who also have a diagnosis of diabetes, hypertension or both.
The programme will help you make positive lifestyle changes, manage your weight and improve your long-term health.
You’ll receive personalised support to manage your weight, eat more healthily and be more physically active – which together have been proven to reduce a person’s risk of developing long-term health conditions, or help manage them.
See the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme pages for more information.
Digital support to join the programme may be available for those patients who don't have easy access to devices like computers, laptops or smartphones. Please see the digital access pages on the Healthier Together website to find the nearest services that offer digital devices, or refer to your local social prescriber service who can find local support.