Working together for a healthier Hounslow
How easy is it to stay Healthy in Hounslow?
This is the question that members of the Council’s Public Health Team, in partnership with healthy lifestyle organisation, BeeZee Bodies, have been talking to residents about over the past 18 months.
The research project has been trying to understand the challenges families face in our borough when it comes to making healthy choices. It looked at factors such as how easy is it for families to eat healthily, be active and take part in exercise.
After speaking to residents across the borough, the Public Health Team has built up a picture of what life is like for local people and the team has captured this in Veena’s story.
Veena
Veena’s Story
Veena’s story is a video that captures the reasons why many families in Hounslow find it difficult to make healthy choices. Often families are faced with competing priorities, with factors such as time, cost and other commitments driving people to convenient but often unhealthy options.
These conversations will allow us to work to make changes to the environment around us so that it enables and promotes healthy lifestyles.
We follow busy Hounslow mum Veena through her daily routine and the choices she is faced with.
It’s a story that will be familiar to many in our borough.
What next?
The Council and its partners are using the views of residents collected as part of the project to shape services for the future.
The priorities are to create an environment where more people can choose to eat healthily and be more active by designing a range of services to support people to do these things.
The work is now underway, and it will take time to develop a roadmap for the borough’s future health and wellbeing. However, one thing is certain, if we are to create a healthier, more active environment in Hounslow, everyone has a part to play.
How you can help
Here are some ways you can get involved in Hounslow’s healthy future:
- What’s cooking? - Why not organise a healthy meal night for your family and friends using a healthy recipe book?
- Health to go - Ask your favourite takeaway shop to offer healthier choices or make small changes to their dishes that can make them healthier. This could be offering a grilled option as well as fried, offering smaller portion sizes or offering a side salad instead of chips.
- Educated eats - Talk to your children’s school about ways they could increase the amount of meat-free meals they offer.
- Work it out - Talk to your employer about ways to increase your activity levels, such as walking meetings, a cycle-to-work scheme, or adding more healthy options to the staff canteen.
- Get connected - Sign up to be a Community Connector and spread the word to your community about ways we can be more healthy. Find out more here.
- Work with us - Get involved in co-designing council-led initiatives.
Healthy Hounslow
If you are struggling to make healthy choices for you and your family and would like some free health and wellbeing support then Healthy Hounslow is for you.
Healthy Hounslow offers a range of healthy lifestyle programmes, including weight management, stopping smoking, and more. If you want to find out more, self-refer or refer a client, visit our website for information: https://healthyhounslow.co.uk/
Tell us more
We’re keen to hear more from Hounslow residents and would love to hear how Veena’s Story made you feel. Were there any parts of Veena’s day you really related to or any parts of your local area that you think make it harder for you to make healthy choices?
If so, you can submit your thoughts here. These insights will continue to determine our priorities for future work so we can make Hounslow a healthier place to live.
Please take a few minutes to complete our short survey all about your thoughts on Veena’s video.
