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NHS to give overweight children 'life coaching'
Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor20 Apr 2009
OVERWEIGHT children will get life-coaching classes to help them slim in a scheme on trial in London.
NHS bosses are recruiting motivational trainers to "empower" nine- to 11-year-olds to lose weight and become more healthy.
The new attempt to tackle the nation's obesity crisis is a radical departure from "bootcamp-style" methods where children are put through a rigorous exercise regime.
Children will be nominated for the mind-training workshops by teachers or school nurses and be encouraged to make lifestyle choices to lose the fat.
Those attending will get monthly face-to-face sessions with psychology coaches as well as weekly telephone sessions. The life-coaching scheme is being piloted from this Saturday by the NHS in north-east London.
Redbridge primary care trust is the first to test the life-coaching classes but others are also signed up to the programme. Experts say mind training will transform the attitudes of children to food and exercise.
The Government has already spent £372million on anti-obesity measures, including a clampdown on unhealthy packed lunches, a ban on junk food from school vending machines and compulsory cooking lessons. But London children are among the fattest in the country, with one in three officially overweight by the time they start school.
Life-coaching company The Performance Solution is carrying out the free workshops to help change the mindset of children. Those attending must be above the healthy weight for their age and height compared with the national average.
The sessions will be run by ex-marine Alan Chambers, who led the first British team to walk unsupported to the North Pole. Mr Chambers, 40, said blaming children for being obese was futile.
He said: "The fact is existing methods are not working and advertising campaigns cost a lot of money. I was a dreamer as a child but if you are four stone overweight then you're limiting your chance of adventure.
"This is about motivation, not blame. It's not a case of 'by the end of the class we will have changed your BMI and you'll be running the London marathon'.
"It's about giving them the psychological skills to change their mindset. If they make different lifestyle choices the weight will fall off." The workshops will be supported by a text service and a dedicated helpline to ensure the children stay motivated.
Their parents will also be given coaching to ensure they are not giving their children unhealthy choices.
Pratibha Datta, NHS Redbridge's director of public health, said: "The goal is to help these youngsters adopt lasting change. That means encouraging them to adopt more empowering beliefs and values about what they can do. The life coaches are well placed to make this happen and it is potentially a very exciting project."
The wheel of life test
The aim of life-coaching is to help people lead more balanced lives.
Children at the workshops will have to complete a specially designed test called the Wheel of Life.
This is a simple exercise where they rate every aspect of their lives including health and well-being, self-esteem, friendships and achievements.
They also fill in a form with multiple-choice questions on subjects such as "I have an ongoing exercise programme" or "I am my normal weight and look good".
Their answers are scored according to how healthy they are and how balanced their lifestyle is.
It also gives an insight into their eating habits such as what takeaway shops they pass on the way to school or what clothes they would like to wear if they lost weight.
The life coach then sets them individual goals to motivate them to become more fit and healthy.
Reader views (19)
life Coaching is not about problems
Footballers do not go to physiotherapists unless they have an injury [problem] and they go to their coach to become better at what they do.
let's stop focusing on the problem and remember life coaching, like any other service will have great results for some and not so for others. On the budget side of things, train up a few young people from each school to be life coaches and they can support their fellow pupils in all areas not just health goals! Mmmm what a concept?
I would be happy to sponsor [pay for] this for Redbridge
- Harry Singha, London, UK, 28/08/2009 03:14
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Oh great...Why don't the government and councils just give back the space for kids to run free and get plenty of exercise...ahh couldn't do that could we as that would mean no obese kids to whinge about and couldn't excuse wasting the taxpayers money eh
- Sarah, London, 28/08/2009 02:14
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I'm not motivated at work, any chance of a holiday in the Maldives to get me going again?
- Bob, Cheam, 28/08/2009 02:14
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As a society we are trying to make everything "fixable" and sometimes it is not. Life will never be perfect, but growing numbers of people think they don't have to take responsibility and it can be fixed. Coupled with the idea - "Its my right and I can do what I want".
Great teach the kids they have to take responsiblity for themselves, and if they don't help themselves no one will. Rather money spent on this than on gastric band operations - which teach you nothing but a very expensive "fix it" solution.
My only question is, and I can't bear the fact this might happen - but the demand on the NHS/public services is going to mean that we will probably lose the free NHS. So all of you folks who make use of these free services because of the consequences of your own selfish life choices - remember this is going to lead to less services both for you and those you care about.
and I am saying this as someone who is a fatty, and is very grateful to get this service for free - but is very worried that the spending on me, is going to mean a reduction in the service for other basic requirements. !!!!
And why the hell do we need this extra stuff - every other programme on TV is about obesity - we should stop watching and go and do something more interesting!
- Jc, se1, 28/08/2009 02:14
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Fantastic. Please, please take this nationwide! If we help all the children get fitter that will reduce the burden on an NHS dealing with an aging population, not to mention develop more confident, high achieving, future adults. Well done to The Performance Solution - let's have more of it
- Lueby Loo, Cranbrook UK, 28/08/2009 02:14
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More spin and waffle and a complete waste of taxpayer's cash.
Look no further than grossly overweight MP's and Minister's of State.
The thin are becoming thinner and the fat (MP's) are getting fatter.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe UK, 28/08/2009 02:14
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Aren't we in some way rewarding failure - FAT people become fat become of lifestyle choices. We ought to reward and celebrate successes NOT failure.
Another job creation plot thought up by incompetent government.
- Max, Isleworth, 28/08/2009 02:14
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overweight children had 'life coaching' when I was in school....it w as called bullying. If that and PE in their pants doesn't dissuade them from the lion bars and crisps I fear that no amount of well-meaning and earnest 'life-coaches' is going to work, however much they are paid out of our taxes. A bag of regular sized cheese and onion crisps is 70p in the cafe below my office, that was enought to dissuade me the other day.
- Squiz, Islington, 28/08/2009 02:14
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At my school of 300, only one person was even slightly overweight. Playing outside and eating a healthy 'meat and two vedge' home cooked meal kept us slim and fit. Today's youth are glued to social networking sites - building tree houses and doing sports have been relegated thanks to our stupid PC and health and safety driven society. We are reaping what we sowed. The NHS should stay out of it - it's parents and schools who should do the work - that's what they are for! The NHS is for fixing broken people, not mind control.
- Worried, London, 28/08/2009 02:14
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What a fabulous idea. These children need support, care and encouragement and linking their own goals to something like the North Pole which builds dreams can only help. I'm going to call The Performance Solution to see if they can offer something similar for adults.
- Anne Wadsworth, Sheffield, UK, 28/08/2009 02:14
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First two comments, classic ignorance of a changing world.
Third comment, goal setting is brilliant, support of these is even better.
How about proper coaching for all school kids?
- Not Exactly A Looney Lefty!, The real world, 28/08/2009 02:14
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I omitted to mention, the 300 of us were the class of '79! Sorry! Bottom line is, we've adopted the worst of the USA, while ignoring the positives. Britain is fat and broken. We need strong leadership to fix it.
- Worried, London, 28/08/2009 02:14
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Definition of a Life Coach: somebody who gets paid to tell you what you already know!
More public money wasted on crack pot schemes.
- Bj, London, 28/08/2009 02:14
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People do not choose to become overweight and there are many social and medical reasons for it. Yes, our current lifestyle is more sedentary and it is no longer safe for children to walk or play outside unaccompanied. Instead of being judgemental, those who have made comments should reflect on the parts of their lives where they are not so perfect and be curious about how they too can live more congruently. Many parents are doing the best they can without being aware of the impact of all of their choices on their children's wellbeing. Instead of knocking schemes that help, ask what you can do to assist the children in your sphere of influence.
- Supporter, Bristol, UK, 28/08/2009 02:14
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Split the NHS into two -
A National Sickness Service, and
A National Lifestyle Sickness and Childbirth Service.
The first service, all taxpayers will pay towards, the second a mix of private insurance and U.P.T (Unhealthy product added tax) chargeable on all unhealthy consumables - and we KNOW what they are!
Obviously there will be grey areas but it should not be beyond the wit of man to develop sound guidelines.
All things can be unhealthy in excess (even exercise) but the beauty of the system is, the more you use, the more you pay, the more children you have, the more you pay.
What could be fairer than encouraging a healthier, less crowded nation by the freedom of choice to PAY as you GO?
- Darius Midwinter, London UK, 28/08/2009 02:14
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Isn't it the parents of the fat kids who need the "coaching"?
- Julia, London, 28/08/2009 02:14
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Great idea!! At last someone has recognised that to keep on BLAMING the children and their families and TELLING them to get fitter will not work, but that MOTIVATING them to want to change will work!! Coaching is a well proven and successful way to do this! (ask any athlete the value of coaching!) Well done Redbridge and The Performance Solution. Lets all encourage other boroughs to follow suit, only by approaches like this will we be able to tackle the problems of obesity.
- Engineer, Hanwell, UK, 28/08/2009 02:14
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I think this is a great idea, but would also like councils to reduce the costs of sports for children. Swimming, badminton, the active school holiday clubs etc are too expensive for me to take my children to. We are not on benefits but struggle to pay our way, with little left for extras. We walk and cycle - but our kids would love to do more (and need to! all being on the heavy side). Unfortunately we cant afford it.
- Bernie, London, 28/08/2009 02:14
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Totally agree with worried London and Darius. If you shove too much food in your mouth and don't burn it off you'll get fatter and fatter. When I was at school Mums made proper meals in the evening, not take-aways or something you shove in the microwave. No-one in my school was overweight, because of a combination of school sports and sensible eating (there weren't any take-aways or fast food outlets in my day). Everytime I see a kid its parents are giving it crisps or a hamburger to eat. How many times do you see kids eating fruit? Why should I help pay for people with no self-control?
- Sue, Orpington, Kent, 28/08/2009 02:14
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