Part 8: Call to Action

Strand 4: Evidence for a Whole Systems Approach to Obesity

Video

Learning Objectives

After watching this section, you should be able to:

• Identify the five key recommendations in the Call to Action for early adopter sites implementing a whole systems approach
• Explain why senior buy-in and a long-term commitment are essential for WSA implementation
• Describe the role of communities of practice, learning networks, and adaptive implementation models in supporting WSA

Key Points

• Higher buy-in: securing commitment at the highest level of administration is critical — it provides the financial support, resources, and protected time needed for implementation; the higher the buy-in, the better
• Reassure staff: WSA involves a steep learning curve and a long-term commitment; teams may be tempted to revert to familiar event-based or campaign-based approaches, and this tendency needs to be acknowledged and managed
• Share learning: communities of practice and early adopter site networks are essential for reducing duplication and maintaining momentum — the Five Nations network is one example of this in action
• Provide training: ongoing training on both the concept and practice of WSA implementation is needed, updated as evidence and experience accumulate
• Adapt the model: template frameworks (e.g., the PHE/Leeds Beckett methodology) are useful starting points but should be adapted to the local area rather than applied rigidly; Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are all developing locally tailored models
• Mapping exercises using interactive causal loop diagrams have been completed in Ards and North Down and Belfast; these tools help visualise the system and identify the pathways through which change might occur

Further Reading

• A whole systems approach to obesity prevention: a rapid synthesis of evidence — the full IPH report whose recommendations underpin the Call to Action in this video (Breslin et al., 2023)
• Whole systems approach to obesity: a guide to support local approaches (Public Health England / Leeds Beckett, 2019) — the implementation framework discussed throughout this strand; the starting point for local areas, to be adapted to context
• Language Matters: Obesity (Obesity UK, 2020) — guidance on non-stigmatising language for practitioners and policymakers; relevant when communicating about WSA implementation with communities and stakeholders
• Do’s and don’ts when talking about obesity (World Obesity Federation) — a concise international resource on respectful, person-first language in obesity prevention and policy
• The Food Foundation Podcast — episodes covering the challenges facing the UK food system, food inequality, and the case for systems-level change; useful for practitioners and early adopter sites staying current with the policy landscape

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Knowledge Check

Complete the questions below before moving on.

Which of the following is a recommendation made in the Call to Action for early adopter sites implementing a whole systems approach to obesity?

A whole systems approach should only be considered once short-term behaviour change interventions have been tried and exhaustedThe implementation model adopted should be adapted to fit the local area, rather than following a template framework rigidlyAll early adopter sites should implement the Public Health England guidance document without any local modificationEarly adopter sites should keep their learning internal to protect local innovation from being replicated elsewhere

The correct answer is the implementation model should be adapted to fit the local area. Evidence from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland suggests that while frameworks such as the Public Health England guidance have been useful for structuring implementation, applying them rigidly can create difficulties because different local contexts have different needs. The recommendation is therefore to move towards models that are tailored to local areas — an approach now being developed in Northern Ireland alongside the mapping work in Ards and North Down, Belfast, and Derry City and Strabane.

• False — a whole systems approach is not presented as a last resort; it represents a fundamentally different way of working that can be adopted alongside or instead of event-based interventions.
• True
• False — the evidence from multiple areas explicitly shows that rigid adherence to a single framework is problematic; local adaptation is recommended.
• False — sharing learning across early adopter sites and communities of practice is highlighted as essential, not something to be kept internal.

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TipYou have finished — now take the Post-Assessment

You have reached the end of all four strands. Please take the post-assessment and compare your answers with how you responded before you started.

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