Effective obesity strategies must harness the power of family influence
As the challenge of childhood obesity persists, Dr Sarah-Elizabeth Bennett, Senior Nutritionist at Slimming World examines the vital role of families and communities in obesity care and prevention
The recent publication of the Health and Social Care Committee’s report, Food and Weight Management: Fixing the Food Environment1 and the findings from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Obesity policy paper on Childhood Food Environment, Planning and School Food2 has brought renewed focus to childhood health, children’s food environments and the urgent need to support families to live healthier lives.
With obesity among reception-aged children at its highest recorded level, there’s a very clear message: tackling obesity is not simply about individual choices but about creating environments that help whole families thrive. And while the systemic changes recommended by the Committee and APPG, such as restrictions on advertising of high fat, salt and sugar products and mandatory healthy food sales reporting, are vital, sitting them alongside measures that recognise and harness the influence parents can have on children's health behaviours could have the potential for further widespread benefits.
New independent research3 published in BMJ Paediatrics Open provides compelling evidence of the relationship between parents addressing their own weight concerns and the health behaviours of their children. The study, conducted by the University of Bristol and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), explored the experiences of 396 Slimming World members with children aged between five and 11 years old.
The findings reveal the powerful link between parental behaviour change and positive outcomes for children:
- more than two-thirds (67 per cent) of parents who were concerned about their child’s weight felt more motivated to support their child after addressing their own weight
- almost half (48 per cent) of parents reported healthier improvements in what their child ate after they joined a weight management programme
- more than a quarter (27 per cent) said their child had become more physically active
These findings are particularly significant at a time when global projections suggest that by 2050, one in three children, teenagers and young adults could be living with overweight or obesity.4 Research also consistently shows that children with parents living with obesity are more likely to experience obesity themselves.5
Through our understanding of the significant influence parents have on their child’s habits, our Family Affair programme acknowledges the important role family can play in the health of children. It provides our members with a set of resources to support them in encouraging their children to have a healthy, varied balanced diet and form life-long healthy habits.
As policymakers consider how best to address rising childhood obesity rates, recognising the role of families and communities in obesity care and prevention is crucial. In doing so, family influence can become one of the most powerful tools available – putting family at the heart of all adult weight management programmes could help to break the cycle of intergenerational obesity.
Moreover, as the number of people using weight loss medication continues to increase, we should consider whether this could lead to the loss of family influence and what impact this could have on the younger generation, if those using medication aren’t making or being encouraged to make, healthy lifestyle changes alongside it.
Whether our members lose weight with Slimming World alone or alongside medication, they are fully welcome in our groups to receive evidence-based, cost-effective support that ensures they make lasting changes to their diet, activity levels and mindset. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with the government to discuss our commitment to supporting its efforts to help people whose lives are adversely impacted by obesity and introduce them to our members who have lost weight and created lasting healthy habits for their entire family.
For more information on our latest research and outcomes or our programme, please visit slimmingworld.co.uk/health
- https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5902/cmselect/cmhealth/223/report.html
- https://obesityappg.com/inquiries
- Mears R, Sharp D, Searle A, Salway R, Hamilton-Shield J. Effect of parent attendance at an adult commercial weight management programme on their children. BMJ Paediatrics Open. 2026;10:e004417. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2025-004417
- Global, regional, and national prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity, 1990–2021, with forecasts to 2050: a forecasting study for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 - The Lancet
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-applying-all-our-health/childhood-obesity-applying-all-our-health
