Equally Well strategy

We will strengthen the role and impact of health prevention.

Many of the key health behaviours significant to the development of chronic disease follow the social gradient: smoking, obesity, lack of physical activity, poor nutrition. While people can take action to lead healthier lives, addressing lifestyle factors through health improvement initiatives is not sufficient to narrow the gap or improve health outcomes.

What does the evidence say?

Interventions that solely rely on individual behaviour change are likely to widen inequalities given the complex causal pathway impacting on capability, opportunity and motivation to change. While action on behaviours and conditions is a necessary part of the solution to reduce health inequalities, these need to be addressed within the context of their root causes in the wider determinants of health.

Research shows that the major behaviours associated with disease burden in both the most and least deprived areas are tobacco, dietary risks, alcohol and drug use.

However, whilst it is the same behaviours that are associated with the disease burden in both areas, the rate of years of life lost from tobacco and drug use are twice as high in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas

Mental ill-health is a significant contributor to long-term health inequalities, and the immediate and longer-term social and economic impacts of COVID-19 have the potential to contribute to or exacerbate mental health problems.

Making decisions about our health and lifestyles is dependent upon and shaped by the context within which we live, including level of education, family and environment. There are differences in how people make decisions but also the opportunities that they have to change their behaviours. For example, in some communities there is easy access to cheap cigarettes and alcohol, a proliferation of hot food takeaways and little access to green open space.

It is important to note that some groups of people experience additional inequalities and barriers, for example those with protected characteristics or communities of interest.

Examples of our current approaches

• Making Every Contact Count (MECC) training for people to have simple non-stigmatising conversations to support people and communities to make healthier lifestyle decisions, for example to stop smoking or reduce their alcohol consumption.
• NHS Health Checks is a public health programme in England for people aged 40-74 to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and strokes, and to keep people healthy for longer
• Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been chosen as one of only three organisations in the country to be part of the Active Hospitals pilot to promote physical activity to benefit residents of North Tyneside
• Community Pharmacy provides a range of clinical services provided by trained health professionals who are experts in the use of medicines, managing minor illnesses and providing health and wellbeing advice
• Tobacco, Healthy Weight and Alcohol Alliances aim to address the wider determinants associated with lifestyle choices
• Active North Tyneside aims to get all residents to be more physically active every day and works with community organisations to deliver many initiatives in a targeted way
• Pharmacies across North Tyneside have trained stop smoking advisors to support people to stop smoking
• Increasing activity by maximising walkability/cyclability of the built environment and our natural assets, including green spaces and beaches
• Using planning controls to restrict the opening of fast-food outlets within 400 metres of schools
• The North Tyneside Recovery Partnership (NTRP) is a dedicated service for anyone living in North Tyneside who is experiencing problems with drugs and alcohol
• Free and confidential sexual health services for anyone aged 13 and over are provided by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Key local challenges and areas for action

• Consider how we tackle multiple risk factors within our population
• Need to work directly with our communities to appreciate the complex social issues behind unhealthy behaviours
• Understand the economic drivers of choice and possible psychological ambivalence to healthy lifestyles
• How do we make the healthy choice the easy, convenient and affordable choice?
• Maximise the opportunities to improve our local environment by designing health into neighbourhoods
• Engaging with local food businesses to consider options around incentivising healthier options
• Consider limiting the promotion and visibility of alcohol in supermarkets, local shops and advertising
• How do we market our existing lifestyle services and programmes and are they accessible?

Providing fun physical activities to people with learning disabilities

LD:North East work across North Tyneside to support people who have lived experience of learning disabilities, learning difficulties and autism. Recent work to remove barriers to health and fitness activities includes walking groups, a very lively football group and kickboxing sessions.

‘B’ previously spent most of her time at home and didn’t have many friends, however she joined the football group and her confidence has grown significantly, along with her physical activity levels. She has developed new friendships and gets fully involved in games – she has even bought her own football kit to wear and is one of the chattiest members of the group!