- Healthy, Active, Positive, Purposeful and Inspired programme give families the support they need to make simple lifestyle changes
- Ten-week course focuses on overall health management by setting up healthy habits around food, exercise and lifestyle choices
- Compassionate, supportive and non-judgmental approach to drive more effective outcomes
Small changes to your lifestyle can make a big, positive impact on health and wellbeing. Salford City Council has launched a new free Healthy Families Programme, HAPPI, which has been designed to help promote a more compassionate and holistic approach to overall healthy living.
Developed to overcome the growing public health issues that families are managing, the Health Improvement Team at Salford City Council will work with families to deliver a ten week practical, solution-focused course. It will provide parents and children the support they have been asking for to establish healthy habits around food, exercise and lifestyle choices.
Instead of taking a traditional approach that focuses purely on weight loss as the desirable outcome, the new programme takes a more holistic and forward-thinking approach. It aims to cultivate a deep sense of body awareness, fostering self-acceptance and a positive relationship with one’s physical and mental well-being. By focusing on evidence-based lifestyle strategies, the programme empowers individuals and families to embrace sustainable habits that promote long-term health. This comprehensive initiative is designed to create meaningful, lifelong health benefits for the whole family, encouraging vitality, balance, and resilience across generations.
Faced with widening health inequalities and major public health issues such as obesity and mental health that are significantly increasing pressure on the NHS, research consistently highlights the increasing need for greater intervention so that people can pursue their own health goals and are fully supported to do so, without judgement or assumptions.
Amidst growing health disparities and escalating public health challenges such as obesity and mental health crises, the strain on the NHS has reached unprecedented levels. Compelling research underscores the urgent and escalating need for robust, targeted interventions to empower individuals to take control of their health and well-being. Without decisive action, these challenges will only continue to intensify, placing an unsustainable burden on healthcare services and society as a whole
For Salford, those findings include:
- In Reception Year, 21.7% of children are overweight or obese, this is significantly worse than the national rate of 9.6%
- In Year 6, 40.7% of children are overweight or obese, which is significantly worse than the national rate of 22.1%.
(Public Health England, National Child Measurement Programme, 2023/34, school year)
Councillor Mishal Saeed, Executive Support Member for Social Care and Mental Health at Salford City Council said: “It’s great to see this programme being launched! There’s no need for New Year resolutions to commit to living a more heathier lifestyle and improve overall family and child health and wellbeing. The HAPPI Programme gives families the support, resources and confidence that help to focus on health gain in a positive way.
“Our Health Improvement Team has a strong track record of delivering community-based health activities and programmes, which is why I would highly recommend HAPPI to all considering a healthier lifestyle. Developing healthy habits and good emotional wellbeing isn’t just for adults – it’s a family affair.”
As part of Salford City Council’s vision to create a fairer, greener, healthier and more inclusive city for all, one of the council’s Corporate Plan priorities for 2024 to 2028 is to create healthy lives and quality care for all, which is fully aligned with the objectives that the HAPPI Programme aims to achieve.
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- Date published
- Wednesday 9 April 2025
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