2009: The Year of Healthy Living

An ambitious new advertising campaign that will help mums, dads and families eat well, move more and live longer will hit television screens, billboards and magazines on 3 January 2009. The aim of the campaign is to kick-start a lifestyle revolution for every family in order to halt the rising tide of obesity.

Experts say without any intervention by 2050 90 per cent of today's children will be overweight or obese and at risk from serious diseases - that is the central message of Change4Life. As part of this new movement there will be extensive support and information to help families and particularly children live healthier lives.

The costs to the taxpayer are significant. Obesity and overweight people are forecast to cost the nation £50 billion - half the entire NHS budget for a year - by 2050 if the trend continues unchecked.

Under the banner Change4Life, the Government is galvanising support from everyone in the country from grass roots organisations to leading supermarkets and charities.

The campaign will help families to understand the harm that fat can cause to their children's health. It warns that a bad diet and inactive lifestyle can lead to cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Modern life makes it much harder than it used to be to maintain a healthy weight. Where once life was simple, food was hard to obtain and people were more physically active. But now people are often eating too much of the wrong things and moving too little. Families are invited to call 0300 1234567 to register for support.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said:

“Change4Life has a critical ambition. We are trying to create a lifestyle revolution on a huge scale - something which no Government has attempted before.

“The extent of the obesity problem demands an ambitious and innovative approach that has not been tried before. We have adopted ideas from successful movements such as Make Poverty History and Comic Relief which involves a wide range of partners, local organisations, commercial companies, charities and, of course, millions of people.

“Change4Life is supportive, informative and reassuring - it's not about telling families what to do and what to eat. We want families to engage with the campaign and understand that obesity is not someone else's problem - it's all of our problem.”

The ad campaign signals the start of the Change4Life lifestyle revolution which includes many organisations:

• Unilever is supporting the Change4Life campaign, through its Flora brand and its sponsorship of the London Marathon. The marathon route will be branded with Change4Life, and runners and visitors will be given Change4Life handouts.
• In January and March ITV will run two prime time Saturday night shows called the "Feelgood Factor" to help families live more healthily.
• The Co-operative Group, the UK's largest mutual retailer, has pledged its support to the Change4Life movement by offering to communicate the key campaign messages through its nationwide network of 2,200 food stores and 800 pharmacy branches.
• In March Kelloggs will expand its breakfast clubs and announce Britain's best breakfast clubs, along with co-branding their swim activities with Swim4Life in January and February.
• The National Convenience Stores will expand their fruit and veg pilot in the North-East across England with a total of 120 stores by May 2009.
• In June and August the Fitness Industry Association will launch MoreActive4Life, which will give people free access to health clubs and leisure centres for a four week period.
• PepsiCo UK will run an ad campaign to promote the benefits of active play using well-known sportsmen and women who can serve as role models.
• In August ASDA will be undertaking a major flagship event - Bike4Life - to raise awareness of cycling as an activity that all the family can do.
• Tesco will promote the Change4Life message in store, on its website and run themed price promotions in store.

And charities including Cancer Research, Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation will be joining forces to highlight the health risks of an unhealthy lifestyle. This is just some of the activity programmed for next year to help families eat well, move more and live longer.

Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, said:

“There are two key things we can do to be healthier. Eat healthier food and be more active.

“Being active and eating well does not have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be difficult. We need to engage with parents and support families to change their lifestyles for the better. Change4Life provides that support.

“Whatever their weight, children need to eat well and be active. Children who are carrying around too much fat in their bodies, are at risk of developing a host of serious illnesses including heart disease, cancer and diabetes in later life.

“Healthy living should not be underestimated - and it's never too late, obesity is a medical problem that can be reversed quickly. With the exception of quitting smoking, keeping a healthy body is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of getting cancer.”

The adverts will invite people to find out more by searching online for “Change4Life” or calling 0300 1234567. Once a person has called or registered for advice they will be able to have a discussion with an adviser. If a person wants specific advice on healthy eating or activity they will be referred to a specialist trained by Change4Llife scientific advisers. All callers will be offered the opportunity to receive further information as the campaign develops to ensure that they get the help they need.

Visitors to the Change4Life website will be able to do a postcode search to find local services such as cookery clubs, after-school activities and sporting facilities in their local areas. In total there will be in the region of 45,000 relevant contacts in England.

Greater focus on prevention is one of the commitments in High Quality Care for All - Change4Life is a key tool for implementing this commitment.

Notes to Editors

1. For copies of the Change4Life creatives call the Department of Health newsdesk on 020 7210 5221.
2. Anyone who wants to get involved with Change4Life should register at www.nhs.uk/change4life
3. Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England can be found at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_082378
4. The Co-operative Group is the UK's largest mutual retailer with more than 4,200 outlets, including food, pharmacy, travel, funeral and bank branches, and 3.1 million active members. It is the UK's largest community food retailer, serving some 12 million customers each week, and the third largest retail pharmacy chain.
5. Founded by the Advertising Association, business4Life is a coalition of 35 members representing the food and drink, retail, media, advertising, fitness and health industries as well as representative bodies, which are partnering with Government to support the Change4Life movement. The companies involved have pledged to make a £200 million contribution to the Change4Life movement by using their marketing, branding and advertising skills to encourage healthier lifestyles.
6. Tesco will also help local communities to get involved in Change4Life through Community Champions who will run events in stores. These will vary from store to store but could include stalls in store, linking up with local council activities or going into local schools. Tesco will also provide features in their customer Magazine, which has a readership of 5 million, on the Change4Life campaign and how customers can get involved, and ideas on how they can get healthier. Features on Change4Life in their internal magazine, to help their 280,000 staff lead healthier lifestyles will also be featured.