3 minutes | Friday, 11 May 2018
Leading UK children’s charity Barnardo’s and National Lottery funded Better Start Bradford have launched a new project called HAPPY for pregnant women.
HAPPY (Healthy and Active Parenting Programme) is a free, friendly antenatal and post-natal project for pregnant women that aims to reduce the number of overweight and obese children living in the Better Start Bradford area.
Barnardo’s BD5 Children’s Centres Cluster will be running the new project in the Better Start Bradford area of Little Horton, Bradford Moor, and Bowling and Barkerend.
Referrals are through the NHS and are designed for women with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than 25 at the time of registering their pregnancy. BMI is a measure of weight relative to height that gives an idea of total body fat, a BMI of over 25 can increase the risk of diseases that are related to being overweight.
HAPPY will be delivered by Barnardo’s in children’s centres and community centres across the Better Start Bradford area by trained and experienced Family Links practitioners, who have completed additional HAPPY training.
More than 20% of children in the Better Start area are overweight or obese when they enter school, rising to 30% of Year 6 children - compared to 18% nationally.
Sonam Bhalla from Barnardo's is the coordinator for the project and she joined us on the line.