Health Champions

The health issues that need promoting are:

Healthy Eating Champions focus on promoting healthy eating but encompassing cultural awareness. They focus on awareness of healthy eating and how this can be achieved in Barking & Dagenham.

Healthy eating champions promote healthy eating by:

• Distributing healthy eating messages to the public through leaflets, events and signposting
• Promoting healthy eating within families, and highlighting what services are available in Barking & Dagenham
• Participate in organised trainingthat supports them in their role as a Health Champion

The Sexual & Reproductive Health Champion’s role is to improve the sexual health of residents in Barking & Dagenham. They work closely with organisations that are already delivering services and assist in promoting healthy sexual messages through:

• Assist organisations to deliver healthy messages by distributing leaflets and signposting
• Participate in events that promote healthy sexual messages to people of all ages in Barking & Dagenham
• Assist in monitoring and evaluation of events with support of Public Health Network Officer

The Physical Activity Champion’s role is to be proactive in highlightinghealthy exercise in Barking & Dagenham. Healthy exercise encompasses all ages and all families. Healthy exercise champions promote healthy exercise through:

• Promote different activities, fun events through leaflets, communication and meetings with network and neighbourhood organisations with the Public Health Network Officer
• Publicise what services are available through the network /health champions to residents of Barking & Dagenham
• Include cross generational events through publicising events, involve all aged organisations such as help the aged, youth centres etc.

The Depression Champion’s priorities are to improve access to services for residents of Barking & Dagenham.

Depression Champions have aholistic approach in highlight how physical activities can improve mental health. This can be achieved through:

• Improve signposting to services and therapies to residents of Barking & Dagenham
• Improve physical well being for residents of Barking & Dagenham by highlighting different services available for residents
• Participate in training to improve knowledge of mental health legislation

A Smoking Cessation Health Champion highlights the benefits of giving up smoking can have on overall health. Smoking Cessation health champions may work in conjunction with the NHS in targeting specific groups in Barking & Dagenham such as young people. Improving smoking cessation in Barking & Dagenham can be achieved through:

• Improving access to services through signposting and events
• Assist in producing monitoring and evaluation in support of the Public Health Network officer
• Develop information methods for hard to reach groups such as distributing leaflets in different languages to residents of Barking & Dagenham

All Health Champions are given full support and training to help them fulfil their role as a Health Champion through the Public Health Network Officer.

Recruitment Form

If you live and/or work in Barking & Dagenham and are interested in becoming a Health Champion, please complete and return the Recruitment Form.

For further details about becoming a Health Champion or information on the Public Health Network, please contact:

Sheila Holder

Public Health Network Coordinator

(020) 8227 5494

sheila.holder@bdcvs.org.uk

PHN Conference