Stories

I'm a clinical dietitian and nutritionist. Currently, I'm investigating the potential role of community pharmacists in obesity, nutrition, and diet-related NCDs management and their contributions to food systems transition to improve diets and health.

With the increased focus on obesity as a health epidemic and the NHS long-term commitments relating to obesity, community pharmacists are in an ideal position to promote healthy diets, help the government in its obesity strategy by offering weight management services, educate people about adopting a healthy dietary pattern and motivate people to make behavioural change. The intervention ideas for community pharmacist (CP) involvement in obesity are as follows:

• CP-led interactive healthy nutrition education within a school environment to help support healthier communities in the future through comprehensive nutrition education
• CP referrals to social prescribing pathways for nutrition/healthy diets related programmes
• Healthy Living Pharmacies: CP-led services for obesity and diet-related NCDs management and implementation of campaigns for the promotion of healthy diets

In order to implement the best practice models, we will be conducting semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders to co-create and co-design feasible interventions and to adopt a systemic and a life-course approach.

Story by Gizem Acar

UCL School of Pharmacy and Medway School of Pharmacy, UK.