Improving health and wellbeing
As well as achievement and maintenance of weight loss, Slimming World considers improvements to health, self-esteem, confidence and feelings of self-worth to be equally important outcomes. We achieve these through the support we give in a warm, friendly and non-judgemental atmosphere.
We see evidence of the health benefits of our members’ weight loss daily within group meetings and various competition entries, with members reporting improvements in numerous health conditions and reductions in the requirement for medication. For example we regularly learn of members reporting improvements in asthma symptoms, those with type 2 diabetes finding they no longer need medication, members who found it difficult to walk becoming far more active and others reporting high blood pressure now lowered and heart conditions eased. Slimming World Consultants are helping hundreds of thousands of members improve the quality of their life every week.
Data from the Slimming World on Referral trial shows that referring patients to the Slimming World programme can significantly improve mental well-being. Improvements in all aspects of mental well-being measured (feeling calm and peaceful, having a lot of energy, and feeling downhearted and low) were seen in those completing both 12 weeks and 24 weeks.
Another survey of over 5,000 Slimming World members highlights how eating healthily and becoming more physically active has improved health:
- 7% of members were found to have diabetes, 64% of these being aged 50 or over.
- 70% of members with diabetes had become more active since joining Slimming World.
- Two thirds (67%) reported an improvement in their diabetes since joining Slimming World.
- 4% had been able to stop medication for diabetes, controlling it with diet alone.
- 42% of members with diabetes had seen improvements in other health problems such as hypertension, high cholesterol and mobility difficulties.
References:
Avery AJ, Lavin JH, Rees E, Barth JH & Whitehead, SM. Improvements in mental wellbeing during weight loss on a slimming on referral programme. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 63: 135A, 2004.
The full results from Slimming World’s diabetes survey are available on request.
