MEND

MEND

The MEND programme is a family-based prevention and treatment programme for obesity, aimed at children aged 7-12 and their parents/carers. MEND emphasises practical, hands-on learning about healthy living and exercise, expressly designed to deliver sustained improvements in families' diets, fitness levels and health - for life. The randomised control trial is currently averaging an attendance rate of 92 per cent across five sites - largely due to its relevance to the everyday lives of participants, the research-based design of the 18× 2 hour sessions and the fact that it is fun.

A high level of interest in implementing the MEND programme is from PCTs,Local Authorities and other local or national bodies - either as a pilot or, in some cases, as a multi-year multi-site implementation for hundreds of families(in fact we are starting one such project in May). This is despite, or possibly because, of the current tightening of budgets in the NHS. One of the major benefits of the MEND programme is that it is a relatively straightforward way to implement a multi-disciplinary/agency intervention cost-effectively. Our “train the trainer” approach, coupled with the detailed trainers' manual, allows a number of people to devote a small portion of their time, e.g. one hour per week, to the project thus minimising impact on people's stretched time and finances. The detailed training and manual also allow non-specialists to become trainers, further reducing the costs. It does not need a large team or even full-time attention from one person. Where Choosing Health money has been retracted or reduced and a full obesity team cannot be put in place for some time MEND allows PCTs to begin to make immediate progress towards their PSA targets. In addition MEND can be deployed as both a treatment and a prevention.

MEND programme, 3rd Floor Norvin House, 45-55 Commercial Street, London E1 6BD, United Kingdom. www.mendprogramme.org