Early Start Community Nutrition Service (ESCNS), Extended Services
| Description | Various services to equip families with the skills to enjoy a healthy diet |
|---|---|
| Setting | Various children’s centres, nurseries, community centres and Early Start programmes across the borough |
| Populationting | All families with children under the age of five years, and pregnant women living in the London Borough of Newham |
| Intervention summary | Various services including group sessions, workshops and staff training |
| Outcome Summary | Increased nutrition knowledge |
| Startup Cost | £200 000 (including recruitment, salaries, staff training and ingredients for sessions) |
| Running Cost | £200 000 - £250 000 per annum |
| Funding | The project is wholly funded by the London Borough of Newham Extended Services via a Service Level Agreement with Newham University Hospital NHS Trust. |
| Started | September 2004 |
| Ended | Ongoing until funding expires (currently March 2008) |
| Location | Newham, London, England |
| Contact |
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Background
We provide various services for pregnant women and children aged up to five years and their families. We aim to equip families with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide a healthy diet for all family members.
The project is based in the London Borough of Newham, which is one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs in England. Newham has the highest proportion of children under the age of one in the country, the highest proportion of non-white ethnic groups in the country, and the highest proportion of lone parent households in England and Wales.
What is the problem you are trying to solve?
The focus of our work is the prevention of malnutrition and the promotion of optimal health.
What local organisations are involved?
The Early Start Community Nutrition Service (ESCNS) forms part of the Early Start Central Health Team, Extended Services. The other disciplines within this team are speech and language, community midwifery, community psychology, and child and family consultation. In addition, the Early Start Community Nutrition Service works closely with staff from Early Start Programmes including members of the Health Visiting and Skill Mix Teams.
How many people are running this project and who are they?
The ESCNS consists of seven members - one community dietician, three community nutritionists, two community food workers, and one food project officer.
What local population are you targeting?
The target population are all families living in the London Borough of Newham with children under the age of five years, as well as pregnant women.
How many people are you targeting?
25 000 children
Interventions
What interventions are you using to address the problem?
The project runs:
- Group sessions for parents to be and parents/carers on topics including nutrition for healthy families, during pregnancy, for babies and under fives;
- Workshops teaching such skills as how to cook affordable healthy foods and understanding nutrition labels;
- Drop-in sessions, where parents/carers can get one on one advice;
- Ongoing training for all staff to enable a wider reach of vital healthy eating messages; and
- Specialised groups for children and their parents/carers to encourage healthy eating habits early in a child’s life.
Our services are free of charge and are offered to all pregnant women, children aged under five years and their families in Newham.
Is the project design based on evidence? If so, please state reference.
No.
Outcome
What outcomes or planned outcomes are you measuring?
We are measuring:
- Change in the level of confidence of parent or carers in providing a healthy diet for themselves and their families after attending ESCNS sessions;
- Change in eating behaviours following immediate completion of a “Cook and Eat” project. Change in behaviour is measured by at least one of the following: increase in fruit and vegetable or fibre consumption, decrease in fat, salt or sugar;
- Level of sustained change in eating behaviours after three to six months following the completion of a Cook and Eat project. Change in behaviour is measured by at least one of the following: increase in fruit and vegetable or fibre consumption, decrease in fat, salt or sugar;
- Change in the number of portions of fruit and/or vegetables consumed by children under five years following participation in an ESCNS ongoing session aimed at promoting healthy eating messages in young children;
- Change in the number of parents or carers who reported that their child tried at least one new fruit or vegetable as a result of attending an ESCNS ongoing session aimed at promoting healthy eating messages to young children;
- Level of knowledge following attendance at ESCNS information services. A multiple choice quiz will be used to measure knowledge; and
- Numbers of families who engage in our services following referral to our service.
Do you have any outcomes or results yet? If so, what are they?
Below is a selection of results for the period July to September 2006 for selected groups only.
Evaluation of ESCNS groups with regard to nutrition knowledge:
Group Number
collected Answered correctly Answered incorrectly Not answered
A 49 93% 7% -
B 55 70% 30% -
C 38 90% 10% -
D 64 87% 11% -
E 14 90% 9% 1%
F 2 100% - -
Total 214 Av: 89% Av: 11%
Evaluation of ESCNS groups with regard to confidence:
Name of Group Number
collected Increase Decrease No change Not
answered
A 49 84% - 12% 4%
B 55 80% 2% 15% 3%
C 38 82% 2% 16% -
D 64 73% 0% 25% 2%
E 14 64% - 36% -
F 2 100% - - -
Total 222 Av: 81% Av: 1% Av:17% Av: 1%
Is your project relevant to a government target or guideline?
Yes, Every Child Matters: Change for Children 1 . Our objective to improve children’s health is also relevant to the Public Service Agreement targets, that information and guidance on nutrition be available to all families with young children in the Sure Start local programmes and children’s centres.
Feedback
What obstacles did you have to overcome to set up this project?
Initially we had some difficulty engaging with hard to reach families, but we overcame this by sending targeted letters to families with children of a relevant age. We also conduct a certain amount of outreach work at parent’s groups, health clinics and open days to promote services, and we work closely with other health professionals to deliver a joined-up service to engage with families.
What have you learned about the project so far?
We are currently developing a communications strategy which will allow us to continue to effectively raise awareness of the ESCNS. We will be able to continue forging links with health professionals and other partners.
What would you do differently?
Outcome measures should have been planned and measured from the beginning of the project.