Contact: Michaela.nuttall@c3health.org

+44 (0) 20 3096 7706 / +44 7946 740229

 

London-based charity C3 Collaborating for Health has collaborated with global health and employment services provider MAXIMUS to launch a weight management app designed by nurses, for nurses. The app, NURSING YOU, will be introduced by C3’s founder and director, Christine Hancock, and Managing Director of UK Health Services for MAXIMUS, Dr Paul Williams, at the annual Wellbeing Symposium on 21 February 2018.

NURSING YOU enables nurses to reflect on how they make decisions at work and identify goals to help achieve and maintain a healthier weight. The app, which uses MAXIMUS WellbeingZone platform, includes wellbeing assessments, tracking tools for activities such as sleep and exercise, healthy recipes, resources about different wellbeing topics, a community function to chat with fellow nurses, and goal setting to earn badges.

NURSING YOU builds on research published as part of The Healthy Weight Initative for Nurses[1] (WIN.) in the BMJ Open in December 2017 that made headlines with its findings that one in four nurses in England are obese[2]. The app emerged from a successful pilot of NURSING YOU as an interactive pdf during the WIN. project. From 2015 to 2017, C3 led the multi-sector WIN. partnership which engaged over 400 nurses who are obese to hear their thoughts about what initiatives should be implemented to help nurses manage their weight. What emerged was NURSING YOU, designed specifically with nurses’ unique workplace struggles in mind.

Obesity is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, cancers, and diabetes, which together are the annual leading cause of death, illness, and disability in the UK. Nearly 50 per cent of total National Health Service (NHS) costs can be attributed to behaviours, such as physical inactivity and unhealthy diet, that contribute to obesity and these chronic diseases. Additionally, previous C3 projects have found that nurses feel a professional duty to model healthy behaviours for their patients.

‘We are delighted to respond to popular demand that nurses wanted an app that was designed by nurses, for nurses. We want nurses everywhere to engage with and use NURSING YOU, along with sharing their experiences and  celebrating successes throughout 2018. It is fantastic that our collaboration with MAXIMUS has helped make this happen,’ says C3’s nursing associate Michaela Nuttall.

For more information on NURSING YOU visit c3win.org. To download the app visit nursingyou.wellbeingzone.co.uk.

 

About C3 Collaborating for Health

C3 Collaborating for Health is a global charity that builds Collaboration to promote 3 behaviour changes: improving diet and avoiding harmful alcohol use; stopping smoking; and increasing physical activity. Since 2009, C3 has partnered on projects with over 50 organisations including local authorities, healthcare providers, foundations and trusts, and businesses in the banking, food, and pharmaceutical industries.

In October 2017, Sigma Theta Tau International awarded C3 the internationally renowned ‘Archon Award’ for exceptional leadership in advancing health and welfare through the world. Through our global network of nearly 3,000 members from 75+ countries, we hope to one day realise our vision: a world where people find it easier to live healthy lives.

Visit www.c3health.org for more information.

 

About MAXIMUS

Since 1975, MAXIMUS has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®, enabling citizens around the globe to successfully engage with their governments at all levels and across a variety of health and human services programs..

MAXIMUS operates several business lines in the UK, including the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments, Health Management, MAXIMUS People Services and Revitalised. In the UK, MAXIMUS employs 4,000 local staff, including over 1,400 doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and other Healthcare Professionals. Using digital wellbeing platforms and technologies MAXIMUS provide interactive tools designed to improve behaviour. Operating from more than 270 locations in the UK, MAXIMUS is one of the largest providers of employment, health and disability support programmes in the country.  Learn more at maximusuk.co.uk.

 

Contact:

Michaela Nuttall, Nursing Associate, C3 Collaborating for Health

michaela.nuttall@c3health.org

+44 (0) 20 3096 7706 / +44 7946 740229

 

 

[1] The Healthy Weight Initiative for Nurses, WIN., is a partnership between C3 Collaborating for Health (C3), London South Bank University (LSBU) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), with funding from the Burdett Trust, the RCN and the RCN Foundation

[2] Kyle, R., Wills, J., Mahoney, C., Coyle, L. Kelly, M., and Atherton, I. 2017. Obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England: a cross-sectional study using the health survey for England. BMJ Open 2017;7:e018498. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018498