New survey explores how systems approaches are helping to prevent obesity
22 May 2024
A former ARC West colleague is asking local public health teams to share how they are using systems approaches to support the healthy weight agenda.
Dr James Nobles’ (now Leeds Beckett University) survey is part of a project to build evidence and tools to strengthen the use of systems approaches. It builds on work he undertook while working at ARC West.
This included groundbreaking work on understanding and evaluating complex public health interventions. Systems approaches fall into this complex category.
A systems approach looks at the complex web of factors which cause a problem, then aims to change how the system works. It does this by bringing together communities, organisations, council departments and local businesses.
James has been leading the way in the design, implementation, and evaluation of systems approaches for several years now. While at ARC West he was involved in the highly innovative evaluation of we can move, a physical activity systems approach in Gloucestershire.
He says:
“About half of the public health teams in the UK are using systems approaches to create healthier environments for their communities to live in. But that is about all that we know! We don’t know what these approaches look like in practice, how they work, whether they are effective, or who they help.”
James and his team have worked with more than a dozen public health practitioners to create the Systems Approach Survey in order to fill some of these big knowledge gaps.
The survey focuses on how systems approaches are used locally in the UK to prevent obesity. It is aimed at local public health practitioners. It takes between 20-40 minutes to complete, and you can complete it on your own or with your team.
Here are four reasons to complete the survey:
Your responses will help to create tools and training to support local teams in the future
It will provide you and colleagues with an opportunity to reflect on your progress to date
You will be able to access a community of learning which helps local teams to learn from each other
You can contribute towards a library of effective actions that local teams are taking to create healthier (weight) environments