Research backs initiative to tackle health inequalities

DEPRIVED communities across Yorkshire are benefiting from a ground-breaking programme designed to tackle health inequalities.

Nearly 11,000 community and workplace health champions have been recruited to promote healthy eating, better mental health and physical activity under the Altogether Better initiative.

Now the venture, backed by funding worth 6.8m from the Big Lottery, has been supported in new research by Leeds Metropolitan University which found the approach is likely to be most effective in hard-to-reach groups including people in deprived communities.

It also chimes with the Government’s Big Society programme and its plans to target health inequalities.

Its director, Alyson McGregor, said: “The programme builds the confidence, skills and knowledge of the champions to improve their own health and wellbeing and to inspire and help their friends, families, neighbours and work colleagues to lead more healthy lives.

“Community health champions are also an effective way of tackling health inequalities as they can reduce the barriers that people face to making healthy choices through education, peer support and increased self-confidence and control.

“Four projects within the Altogether Better programme recruit and train health champions in the workplace. The research looked at the effectiveness of workplace champions in relation to mental health and found that champions can promote, maintain or improve individual’s mental health.”