Healthier Lifestyles Project [PROJECT ENDED]
This project is funded through the Adapt and Innovate grant giving programme from NHS West London CCG and KCSC.
Project outline:
The project is about mentoring BAME community members who need to make changes to their lifestyle to improve their mental and physical health.
Clients are supported to make 3 or more simple long-term commitments with regard to their lifestyle such as eat a minimum of portions of fruit and veg, or have a fasting/non fasting period (eg eat between 11am-7pm only), and includes a physical activity target (eg go for a 20 minute walk every day).
This project is being delivered in partnership with 4 BME organisations to reach clients who need to improve their health and wellbeing and who have difficulties accessing mainstream services, partly because of a language barrier. The service can be delivered in Arabic, Somali, Bengali, Spanish and Farsi. Clients receive 4 weekly 1:1 sessions to agree an action plan and support and (if restrictions permit) to do some physical activities together with a staff member (otherwise this can be delivered online), followed by two follow up sessions a month later to encourage maintaining these changes in the longer term.
All staff members delivering the project will have received a programme of training incorporating accredited training such as RSPH accredited training (https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-services/e-learning/courses/level-2-understanding-health-improvement.html), MECC, and informal CBT-style methods of problem solving and goal setting, and physical activity self-evaluation methods.
Organisations delivering the project are:
- Midaye Somali Development Network
- FAWA (French African Welfare Association_
- CLYD (Central London Youth Development Trust)
- Iranian Association