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Fit 4 Life works with disadvantaged overweight and obese teenagers to support and educate them to make positive lifestyle changes. This fantastic project has proved a phenomenal success with substantial decreases in BMI and waist to height ratios, increased self-esteem and improved school attendance and behaviour. Donations are sought which will enable us to continue delivering the project at the existing three schools, as well as taking it into other schools to benefit more children. Fit 4 Life works by removing barriers to behavioural change and providing opportunities for substantial short and long-term health improvement. It offers weekly fitness sessions, nutritional guidance and general health advice and motivation; focusing on increasing exercise levels, improving diet and increasing self-esteem.
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Fit 4 Life was set-up to address the problem of obesity in young adults which is a rapidly growing concern. Obesity has serious health implications and impacts on both life expectancy as well as quality of life. It is a major risk factor for a range of diseases including high blood pressure, raised blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, some cancers, and a number of psychological problems including low self-image and low self-confidence. Fit 4 Life project staff meet with project participants to provide fitness sessions, nutritional guidance and general health advice and motivation. Sessions are delivered via a combination of one-to-one contact as well as weekly small group work. Sessions are delivered both during the school day and before / after school. Email support is also provided during the week between sessions. Approximately 15 children are supported at any one time at each of the three schools where the project is currently running. In addition to the main weekly project sessions, there are also several ‘one-off’ group nutritional and activity sessions organised. These include breakfast clubs and a ‘cook and eat’ programme. Parents are encouraged to attend some of these sessions along with their children. There are also a small number of activity sessions delivered during the long summer holiday in order to keep children motivated during this period. The project was piloted at a local school between January and July 2007 with results far exceeding initial expectations! The participating children made significant progress and in some cases the project has had a massive impact on the whole family (a copy of the evaluation report and a subsequent 6 month follow-up are available on request). The project is currently being rolled out in three local schools and we hope to deliver it in additional schools in the future in order that more children can benefit. - £70,000 would enable us to continue delivering the project at the current three schools for another two years - Additional funding in excess of the £70,000 would enable us to expand the project by taking it into more schools