Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition: A Framework for Action

4.26 Eight Boards had an obesity strategy that includes children under the age offive. Obesity strategies included training sessions with different practitioners,prevention through a partnership approach, working with local authorities, targetingearly years and young people, supporting family and individual weight management,increasing the number of people eating healthy diets, increasing physical activitylevels, creating environments that support healthy eating and physical activity, andinfluencing local producers, manufacturers and retailers toward supporting healthyfood produce.4.27 Most respondents (7 of the 11) said that work to improve the nutrition ofchildren under five was included their local authority/authorities’ Single OutcomeAgreement. Only one of these was aware of local authority funding to support thiswork. In five areas, work to improve nutrition in the under fives was included in thelocal authority’s Joint Health Improvement Plan but none of these respondents wereaware of local authorities having allocated funding to this work. Eight respondentssaid that work to improve the nutrition of children under the age of five was includedin local authority’s Children’s Services Plan and three of these were aware thatfunding was available for this work.Early Years Self- evaluation Collaborative – Community Food & Health(Scotland) (CFHS)This pilot support programme was delivered jointly with Evaluation Support Scotland(ESS), to support six community-led and community based food and healthinitiatives. CFHS had identified that community food and health initiatives neededsupport to improve their evaluation skills and demonstrate their role in deliveringhealth improvement outcomes in Early Years. All the initiatives involved sharedcommon objectives to deliver activities in low-income communities addressing healthinequalities and access to healthy and affordable food. Activities included growingfood, shopping and cooking sessions with the aim of influencing and sustainingbetter nutritional outcomes. Some initiatives engaged a range of local partners todeliver activities jointly.The collaborative supported six initiatives to collect evidence to show their work wasmaking a difference in low-income communities. This was important so that clearoutcomes could be shared with others especially policy makers and funders, toincrease understanding of which approach works, for whom, and why. A commonoutcome for all was the unique value of consistent engagement with families leadingto well developed relationships with future activities. Core outcomes focused onfamilies gaining knowledge, skills and confidence to engage with food, change eatinghabits as well as buy and prepare food with fresh ingredients. The benefit of peersupport especially with vulnerable families was also evident. An EYSEC logic modelwas used to describe the contribution that the collaborative and other initiativesworking in Early Years are making towards national outcomes.For more information visitwww.communityfoodandhealth.org.uk/about/currentwork.php