18.10.2007
The Department of Health has awarded Professor Flis Henwood from the University of Brighton £250,000 for a two-year project to look at whether the internet has a role to play in supporting people to look after their health. The 'Net.Weight' project is exploring this question by focusing on the area of weight management.
As a first stage in the project, questionnaires will be distributed across Brighton and Hove and will be available in some doctors' surgeries, pharmacies and many community venues. The questionnaire will also be available online to those living in the city. People who are eligible to take part in the survey must be a resident of Brighton and Hove, aged 16 and over, be over the recommended weight for their height and be trying to lose weight.
The survey will look at how people access health information and what sources they consider to be useful. Although an extensive amount of information is available about weight loss, people can struggle with health information for different reasons. Where information is online, they may not have access to the internet, or where information is more easily available, for example in a leaflet, they may not understand or even trust the information or advice found there.
Many people also need support if they are going to stick to their goals and finding different ways of getting in touch with health professionals for advice may be important. Gaining support from friends and family may also be important. All these elements are vital if individuals are going to be able to engage in what the government calls 'self-care' and take more responsibility for their own health.
Professor Henwood said: "There are still thousands of people whose health is poor because they are overweight. Many of these people want to do something about their health but find it difficult to get hold of the information, advice and support they need. This project seeks to narrow the gap between what is currently provided and what is known about, accessible, usable and useful to members of the local community."
Find out more
To find out more about this project and how to take part in the survey, go to the net.weight website or contact Ian Hockaday on 644758 or email: i.hockaday@brighton.ac.uk.
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
