Adult Nutrition and Health Needs Assessment (2026)

Recommendations

Build on existing obesity prevention activity with renewed focus on impact, as local obesity rates continue to rise in line with national trends.
Improve equity‑focused intelligence, by developing more robust local data on diet‑related disease and nutrition access among underserved groups, including people with learning disabilities, ethnic minority communities and adults with neurodivergence.
Embed nutrition within routine care, ensuring primary and community care settings are supported to deliver brief, compassionate dietary conversations linked to local support offers.
Increase cooking confidence and skills, with a focus on men, residents in more deprived areas and those unable to work, through accessible, informal cooking sessions, budgeting support and community food hubs.
Strengthen healthier food provision across schools, nurseries, leisure settings and foodbanks, building on existing healthier vending and food pledge initiatives.
Improve visibility and navigation of support, ensuring all frontline services actively promote the weight‑management pathway, Live Well Cheshire West and the Food Partnership map.
Address survey representation gaps, with targeted engagement to better capture the views of men and ethnic minority communities in future needs assessments.
Expand affordable fresh food initiatives, including pop up markets, low cost produce schemes and closer links to local growers and farmers’ markets, especially in deprived areas and signposting to those experiencing food insecurity.
Deliver cooking and nutrition support that reflects real world constraints, focusing on low equipment, low energy and time efficient meal options.
Integrate food support with wider services, strengthening links between nutrition, mental health, housing, welfare advice and primary care expanding on pre-existing links and integrating compassionate approaches.
Promote behavioural change as core to weight support, ensuring programmes focus on nutrition, habits, confidence and wellbeing, not weight alone.
Use the Food Equalities Tool proactively to prioritise neighbourhoods for food access interventions and transport planning, particularly for those in rural areas where supermarket access is limited and without private transport, by exploring transport solutions and local retail partnerships to improve access to healthier options.
Continue to resource and strengthen whole systems working, maintaining cross‑sector leadership and accountability for nutrition and healthy weight.
Sustain and expand collaborative delivery of the Food for All Plan, continuing to centre dignity, choice and lived experience.
Embed compassionate, non‑stigmatising approaches system‑wide, ensuring consistency across primary care, community services and non‑specialist settings.
Build on existing healthier advertising and planning policies, maintaining focus on reducing exposure to unhealthy food environments, especially within areas of deprivation.
Advocate nationally for stronger commercial regulation, particularly around promotions and marketing including buy-one-get-one-free offers
Expand access to free drinking water, pop‑up promotions and healthy choice nudges across council and community settings.
Align nutrition and physical activity action, delivering joint approaches through the Get Cheshire West Moving Strategy 2025–28.
Continue healthier vending and procurement commitments, ensuring public sector settings lead by example.
Align local services more closely with NICE guidance, ensuring behavioural interventions meet minimum recommended duration.
Adapt services for people with complex needs, including learning disabilities, severe obesity, mental health conditions and older adults.
Promote consistent compassionate communication, especially outside specialist services with success reframes to expand beyond weight loss emphasising sustainable, health‑promoting behaviours and wellbeing across all tiers.