Slimming World Teams Up With NHS Choices

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 26 Oct 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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Slimming World is delighted to have been selected as one of the only commercial sector organisations to feature on the NHS Choices website healthy living guides (http://www.nhs.uk).

From the end of October, people searching for weight management support will be able to access information about Slimming World groups on the internet, from home, from public libraries or from hundreds of pharmacies across the country.

A major health resource, the NHS Choices website is designed to give people the knowledge to make meaningful decisions about their own treatment. The site will allow users to find their nearest Slimming World group by postcode. Slimming World has 5,500 groups in community venues, run by 2,500 trained weight loss Consultants.

Slimming World's inclusion on the NHS website follows the success of Slimming World on Referral, the company's pioneering referral scheme. Working in partnership with health professionals, including Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Health Boards and individual GPs Slimming World offers subsidised group membership to patients seeking weight management support.

Slimming World nutritionist and partnerships manager Dr Jacquie Lavin says: "Slimming World's inclusion on the NHS Choices website is a result of many years of intensive research and scientific evaluation of our methods and how we successfully help members to lose weight and change their lifestyle.

"Research consistently shows that people have a much better chance of overcoming their weight problems in the long term when they have regular group support. Every year more than a million members in our groups lose more than 10% of their body weight - that's enough to reap real health benefits, whatever their starting weight.

"Slimming World has nearly 40 years experience helping to motivate people in Britain to lose weight. Nowadays people have access to a wealth of dietary advice and information - through books, magazines, on the internet. Our methods ensure that members who come to group feel valued, achieve great weight losses - and have fun."

NHS Choices editor Paul Nuki said: "There has been a proliferation of health-related websites in the past couple of years, and some of them inevitably will give misleading, or in some cases advice that is not medically advisable. Weight loss is a key example of this. NHS Choices caters for the growing number of people that are seeking advice online by providing NHS-accredited advice, which is interesting and easy to use."

A recent report by Foresight government think tank predicts that by 2050 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children will be obese and estimates that obesity will cost the NHS £45 billion.

As more and more people become aware of how being overweight affects their long term health, the government is under increasing pressure to find solutions. Evidence suggests that working in partnership with reputable and recognised commercial slimming organisations like Slimming World is an effective way to tackle obesity.

- Slimming World is the largest and most advanced slimming organisation in the UK. Margaret Miles-Bramwell founded the company in 1969 and there are now more than 5,500 groups held weekly nationwide via a network of 2,500 Slimming World trained Consultants.

- 250,000 members attend Slimming World every week and achieve outstanding success.

- Members lose 17,857 stones every week: 2,551 stones every day, over 106 stones every hour, that's 1 stone 10 lbs lost every minute of every day with Slimming World.

- Slimming World has pioneered Slimming on Referral in the UK and actively supports the building of partnerships with the NHS to develop effective strategies to manage overweight and obesity in the community. To date there are more than 20 different Slimming on Referral schemes and more than 4,500 members have been referred by their health carer. Slimming World works with university researchers and specialists in an active research programme to further knowledge of the causes and treatment of obesity.

- Slimming World's healthy eating plan, Food Optimising, and the principles behind Slimming World's philosophy are based on a deep understanding of the challenges faced by overweight people. Slimming World integrates practical, up-to-date dietary advice with a highly developed support system.

- Slimming World Consultants receive specific training in dietary aspects and the role of physical activity in weight control. The highly developed training focuses on facilitating behaviour change in a group environment, acknowledged by experts as being the most effective way to support long-term weight management.

- In March 2004 and again in 2005, 2006 and 2007 Slimming World was named among the 'Top 100' Best Small Companies to Work for in the UK by The Sunday Times.

http://www.slimming-world.com