Heart of Mersey (HoM)
Heart of Mersey (HoM) aims to add value to Cheshire and Merseyside programmes and interventions by working at the local, regional, national and international levels to tackle cardiovascular disease prevention through integrated, evidence-based initiatives and public health advocacy.
Showcase
The HoM Low Fat Dairy campaign used a team of super-fit cartoon characters to persuade parents and children to swap full fat dairy products for low fat options. Switching from full fat to low fat milk and dairy products can reduce children's saturated fat intake by up to 70%.
Five hundred schools received Low Fat Dairy resource packs and a dedicated website was launched for children and parents. The campaign preceded a European Commission landmark decision to allow schools to claim equal subsidies for low fat milk products.
This policy change, which HoM had been lobbying for, helped reduce the saturated fat intake of the children receiving free school milk in Greater Merseyside by up to 90,000 kilograms a year.
Priorities
- To advocate policies to encourage and facilitate lifestyle choices that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- To contribute to a reduction in the health inequalities caused by CVD.
- To support the development of strategies to restrict the supply of tobacco products, particularly to children and young people.
- To support the development of strategies to reduce the levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar in the diet
- To support all the above through research