About

Lancashire Healthier Places is a programme of work which aims to promote healthy weight and create healthier environments across Lancashire.

 The programme will build on key elements of the Healthy Hearts Strategy and learning generated from the Pennine Lancashire Healthier Place, Healthier Future project. 

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) accounts for one in four of all deaths in England. Within Lancashire, CVD premature mortality rates are well above the England average, in part associated with correspondingly high levels of deprivation. 

 Overweight & Obesity increases the risk of a range of mental and physical health conditions including CVD. Approximately 67% of adults in Lancashire are living with overweight and obesity (higher than the England average of 64%). 24% of 4-5 year olds are also living with excess weight, increasing to 38% of children aged 10-11 years. Children living with obesity are more likely to experience obesity later in life. 

It is widely recognised that the causes of excess weight are complex and influenced by a range of economic, social and environmental factors and therefore a collaborative whole systems approach is required to support communities achieve a healthy weight and live long, healthy lives. 

This programme of work builds upon learning generated from the Pennine Lancashire Healthier Pace, Heathier Future project, 1 of 5 national childhood obesity trailblazers funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. The national programme was established to support the Government’s ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and aims to promote innovative action to tackle childhood obesity and associated health inequalities.  

Healthier Place, Healthier Future took a system-wide approach to transforming the food environment, focusing on four levers for change to target high deprivation and childhood obesity; system leadership, business engagement, planning and social movement. The main aim was to address the lack of diversity across local high streets in some of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods across Pennine Lancashire. 

Healthy Hearts was established by Lancashire’s Health and Well Being Board as one of three priorities to narrow the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy between local areas by 2030. The strategy aims to lower the risk of stroke and heart disease by working with health services, local authorities, charities and other partners across Lancashire and South Cumbria. 

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria provide information on conditions such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, atrial fibrillation and high cholesterol and advice of how best to manage these conditions to lower CVD risk and achieve a healthy lifestyle.