Section 4: Impacts of food and financial insecurity
Key interventions
Growing healthy 0 to 19
Gateshead (health visitors and school nursing services) provided by Harrogate NHS, now has a dedicated infant feeding and nutrition lead. This is a key post as it provides a priority focus for breastfeeding, weaning and nutrition for the crucial early years period and also support the healthy weight agenda for school children.
The daily mile-Gateshead
is supporting the regional 'daily mile' programme, which is a targeted approach which contributes greatly to achieving the required 30 minutes of school-time activity recommended by the Chief Medical Officers report. Approximately 30% of Gateshead schools are engaged with the programme and this has been closely aligned in a partnership approach with the school sport partnership and their health and wellbeing offer to schools.
The Gateshead Schools Health and Wellbeing Service
was developed in 2019 by the Gateshead School Sports Partnership. The service has already established a local network of 40 primary schools and Health and Wellbeing co-ordinators, all with the aim of improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people. The service provides a range of tangible services to schools, providing effective support across the four key themes of;
- Emotional health and wellbeing
- Healthy eating
- PSE
- Physical activity
Our food environment / food consumption
is an innovative approach between Gateshead Young People's Assembly and Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, who have focused on the lived experiences of young people and the impact of the food environment.
The young people have captured images of the food environment in and around Gateshead and highlighted the impacts of the food environment upon young people's personal food choices. The images captured and stories by the young people highlighted the vast availability of food choices and the impact of food advertising and promotion in our communities. The young people described a clear distinction between food available in different areas of the borough and this support the link between more fast food takeaways in areas of deprivation.