Social ChallengeImproving lifestyle behaviours of primary school pupils and parents to promote physical and mental wellbeing

CollaboratorsGreenwich Neighbourhood Renewal, Woolwich Primary Care Trust, Independent Photography

BeforeTeachers at primary schools in Woolwich expressed that they had a lack of skills, knowledge and confidence to deliver healthy living messages to the pupils. Pupils recited healthy living messages but did not act on them due to parents’/guardians’ control of lifestyle and eating behaviours. Large numbers of pupils were not eating breakfast before school, which resulted in poor concentration levels, and many lacked the ability to express emotions, which resulted in disruptive and sometimes aggressive behaviour. There was an abundance of printed awareness information on health and mental wellbeing but few strategic interventions to support the messages.

ApproachAudits identified that more engaging and creative work could be done around healthy living. Uscreates designed ‘Art and Design for Healthy Living’. This is a teaching resource that took the form of a user friendly and interactive CD, which compiles a series of creative classroom session, each addressing a specific healthy living challenge: Stamp up the Fruit and Veg, Get Active, Start Right, Wellbeing, and Get Balanced.

Uscreates carried out workshops in a number of schools to ensure that session content was appropriate to the pupils and appealed to their families. The pupils also helped design resources that addressed school-specific challenges such as a breakfast reminder pajama top, facial expression badges, and eatwell placemats.

‘Challenge books’, which consisted of games and activities for use at home with parents or guardians, recapped health massages and helped reach other members of the family.

Methods:Co-design Workshops, Pre-Testing

Change and Success– Teaching Resource with self-explanatory sessions that any teacher can apply in class
– The resource was distributed to over 50 primary schools in the Borough of Greenwich
– Evaluation showed a 70% involvement rate from parents, and 80% of children said they changed something about their lifestyles to be healthier.

Find out more:
Order a sample of the ‘Art and Design for Healthy Living’ resource from
See more project photos on Flickr