HAPPY

The earliest stages of a child’s life are a critical period for obesity prevention. High maternal Body Mass Index (BMI), as well as maternal parenting and feeding styles, have been found to be key risk factors for children in Bradford.

The project aimed to:

• Encourage mothers to make healthy food choices antenatally and maintain a healthy diet postnatally
• Encourage mothers to increase physical activity during pregnancy and meet the recommended guidelines within 12 months of giving birth
• Support mothers to develop responsive parenting and feeding practices
• Encourage parents to develop healthy food preferences and dietary intake in their infants

At the start of COVID-19, measurement of women’s height and weight (needed to calculate BMI) at the time of booking into the maternity service became less consistent, making it difficult to identify women who would be eligible for HAPPY. In addition, delivery of the universal antenatal offer usually provided through Family Hubs was paused. For these reasons the decision was made to broaden the eligibility for HAPPY so that it became a universal offer.

It was also decided that only antenatal sessions would be delivered, and delivery would take place online. This changed the model from 12 weeks of content across the antenatal and postnatal periods, to 6 weeks of content delivered in the antenatal period only. Towards the end of the project contract in June 2021, the programme was further adapted from 6 weeks antenatal to 8 weeks to ensure all the antenatal content could be appropriately covered. From July 2020 – Feb 2022, all HAPPY delivery took place online making it a purely virtual offer. The uptake of this universal 8-week offer was much higher.

Better Start Bradford ceased delivery of HAPPY in 2022 following a review of the antenatal provision on the programme.

• 203 women participated in the project, with over 200 sessions delivered.
• 100% of anticipated universal programmes were delivered.
• HAPPY was successfully adapted into a universal and antenatal programme.
• The adapted programme saw improved rates of participation and completion.
• Women reported changes in diet and physical activity at the end of the programme.
• Families reported confidence to attend further groups.
• The addition of an engagement worker raised the profile of the 6-week universal offer and wider recruitment was possible. Retention of families increased significantly.
• A baby shower and coffee morning were added into the programme which were popular.
• Families with limited English were able to attend sessions and facilitators could support with interpreting.
• Participants encouraged pregnant members of their family/friends and social circle to attend the programme as wider community knowledge of the programme was gained.

*This section includes information from both the evaluation report/s and project