Islington Council is launching a comprehensive healthy weight programme, aiming to make healthier choices the easiest option for residents. The initiative, presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board on Tuesday 17 March 2026, adopts a whole systems approach
to tackle the complex factors contributing to overweight and obesity, which has become the leading risk factor for poor health in the borough.
Fran Bury and Emily Clark, presenting the programme, highlighted that nearly half of Islington's adult residents have a body mass index (BMI) considered unhealthy. They emphasised that weight is not just about individual choices but is influenced by biological, psychological, social, economic, and environmental factors. The programme's eight principles aim to address these by ensuring healthier options are the easiest, avoiding weight stigma, supporting health at different sizes, and taking an inclusive and culturally competent approach.
The whole systems approach
aims to shape the environment so that healthier choices are the easiest ones for people to make, rather than requiring individuals to constantly fight against their surroundings. Specific examples of interventions include promoting active travel and other forms of physical activity, and working with the Islington Food Partnership to shape the food environment. The council is also advocating for national policy changes, including restrictions on hot food takeaways, by submitting responses to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and providing feedback on the London Plan. This advocacy is ongoing.
Key to the programme are early interventions and whole-family support, with a focus on psychologically informed approaches. The programme recognizes that relationships with food, weight, and physical activity can have complex emotional and psychological roots. To embed these approaches, the programme suggests reviewing commissioned services to ensure they are embedded, providing psychological interventions as a treatment option, and addressing psychological factors that underpin behaviours. This aims to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, acknowledging the link between weight stigma and poor mental health outcomes.
The initiative acknowledges the limitations of BMI as a sole measure of health and aims to promote healthy relationships with food, body image, and physical activity, rather than solely focusing on weight reduction. The programme aims to actively avoid weight stigma and support health at different sizes through practical measures. This includes tackling weight stigma in communications and healthcare services, and supporting residents to meet their nutritional and physical activity needs without focusing solely on weight. Success in weight management programmes will be measured using a variety of markers beyond just weight reduction, such as waist circumference, reduction in blood pressure, or personal goals like gaining confidence to attend physical activity classes.
The programme builds on existing work, including the Islington Food Partnership and active travel initiatives. It also seeks to address health inequalities, noting that higher rates of overweight and obesity are found in more deprived neighbourhoods and among black ethnic groups
in Islington. To address these disparities, the programme will employ culturally competent approaches, including tailoring communications and advice to different communities and co-developing messages about healthy eating with various groups, considering accessible ingredients and traditional foods.
Monitoring the programme's impact will involve tracking intermediate outcomes, such as organization-specific outcomes, population health measures, and experiential outcomes related to health and care services. In the longer term, the programme expects to monitor the increase in the prevalence of residents within a 'healthy weight' range using publicly available data from sources like the National Child Measurement Programme and NHS data portals. Currently, the programme is tracking stakeholder engagement, project reporting, and advocacy and implementation activities. The programme's principles have been informed by a needs assessment and evidence review, with ongoing engagement planned to ensure its effectiveness. The full details of the programme update can be found in the Healthy Weight Programme Update document.
