Public Health Annual Report
Annual Reports of the Director of Public Health
The Director of Public Health in every local authority in England is required to produce an annual report on the health of their residents.
These reports consider those issues affecting the Isle of Wight’s population that result in poor health over time and early, but often avoidable, reliance on healthcare and social care services. Often, a few minor lifestyle changes would mean that people could spend a far greater proportion of their life as years of healthy life. This will avoid the need to access health and social care.
2023/24 - Enabling the Isle of Wight’s Children to be a healthy weight
This year’s report focusses on the impact of childhood obesity for the Isle of Wight. It also focusses on the public health challenge it represents. More children leave primary school overweight and obese than those starting in Reception year. This can affect their wellbeing, physical and mental health, both now and into adulthood. The report brings together key information to enable the Island children to attain a healthy weight.
Collective action now will help support this generation to meet a healthy weight. This will reduce the risk of serious health conditions. It will support them to live in good health across their life course.
2022/23 – Ageing well on the Isle of Wight
This report reflects on ageing and how our lives and lifestyle choices can have a positive impact on how we age. We are all getting older, and it starts the moment we are born. There are important steps we can take through our lives to help us to benefit from better mental wellbeing and physical health as we age and move into our older retirement years. The pandemic impacted all of us, our families, friends and communities. Either directly on our health or indirectly through policies which changed how we worked, socialised and moved. This report considers these challenging times but also celebrates the progress which has been made.
2021/22 – COVID-19: addressing inequalities in mental health and wellbeing across the Isle of Wight
COVID-19 has shone a necessary spotlight on mental health and wellbeing across the Island. The impact on inequalities and mental wellbeing for different age groups is explored throughout this report. This includes innovations which seek to improve mental and emotional wellbeing. Access to mental health services. The role of prevention and the wider determinants of health that can promote mental and emotional wellbeing. This report highlights the significant amount of work underway across the Island to improve mental health and wellbeing. This includes recommendations for further action.
2019/20 – Tackling environmental factors is vital to address obesity on the Isle of Wight
By shifting our focus to addressing environmental and societal factors we will be able to have a greater impact on the levels of excess weight on the Isle of Wight than if we solely consider individual behaviours.
Many people already know what they should be doing to achieve a healthy weight, but it can be a real struggle to put this into practice. This is primarily because we are living in an environment that encourages us to eat too many calories whilst remaining physically inactive.
This report highlights the significant amount of work across the Island to increase the proportion of people with a healthy weight. However, there is more we can do to facilitate healthy behaviour through changes to our environment.
Previous Annual Reports of the Director of Public Health
2018/19 - The health and wellbeing of older people on the Isle of Wight
2017/18 - The Island as a health promoting setting. The role of green and blue space on the health of the Island population
2016/17 - We can’t weight to act: A whole-system call to tackling physical inactivity. Amongst children and young people on the Isle of Wight.
2015/16 - The “parity of esteem” between physical and mental health.
2014/15 - Asset-based community approaches.
2013/14 - Health on the Isle of Wight.