P14 Local authority delivery of a large-scale public health intervention: experiences, challenges, and solutions

Background

Childhood overweight (OW) is a public health priority. Parents are key to maintaining a healthy weight in their child but may not recognise child OW. The mandated National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) measures the weight status of 4–5- and 10–11-year-olds in England providing results to parents via letter; where follow up is offered, this is usually available only to children in the very overweight category. ‘MapMe’ is a web-based tool aimed at improving parental recognition of child OW and includes family-based lifestyle behaviours/support suitable for all families. MapMe is being delivered to families across 10 local authorities (LA) as part of the NCMP results letter. Repeat measures at 12 months will measure the impact on child weight outcomes. Little is known about LA delivery or implementation of a large-scale public health intervention and research trial. This work describes the views and experiences of those LA staff involved in supporting the trial and implementing the intervention collected as part of the process evaluation.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews/focus groups were conducted with LA staff. Thirty-seven staff were invited by email to participate via Teams or Zoom. Interviews/focus groups were video-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic framework analysis was applied.

Results

Ten staff members consented to interview (n=4) or focus group (n=2 with 3 participants in each). Participant roles included public health specialists, public health practitioners, NCMP leads, school nurses, child/family health managers and business-support staff. Six themes were identified, including the implementation of the study. Supporting and implementing research was a new concept for many: ‘Whereas [for] LAs,…to a lot of the departments, it’s just a little bit too new to them.’ Communication and data-sharing between LA departments could be problematic: ‘…all the LAs work differently… I mean we sit on the same floor as our School Admissions Department, but because of GDPR they cannot physically provide us with that [data].’ Most interviewees reported that, dependent on trial results, they would support a national roll-out of MapMe: ‘…it feels like NCMP might become more than just a data collection exercise… that there will be something positive’. Some implementation issues needed to be resolved, such as stream-lining the administration process, having more follow-up meetings, and providing a ‘test participant.’

Conclusion

Despite the challenges and novelty faced by LAs in implementing the study, LA respondents thought MapMe could be a beneficial addition if fully integrated as part of the routine delivery of the NCMP.