A FREE health service to help people with weight management has been introduced at a pharmacy in Bradford.

The new initiative has been launched by Rowlands pharmacy, and will encourage adults to take the first step towards a healthier lifestyle.

Nigel Swift, Managing Director of Rowlands said: “Our new weight management service is designed to help all those setting out on a new weight loss journey but also those who have struggled to find a plan that works for them.

"Making a change to your lifestyle can feel overwhelming if you don’t know quite where to start. Not a lot of people realise that they can approach their local pharmacist for weight management advice. It is so important that people feel comfortable enough to make that first approach for advice and guidance."

The new service will offer advice to people who don't know where to start- with their weightloss journey, and will be tailored to their own personal circumstances.

TV medic, Dr Dawn Harper is supporting the campaign.

She said: “Pharmacies are fantastic spaces to speak freely and openly about any weight concerns. Starting a weight loss journey or plan with support from a healthcare professional is a valuable step to take. Rowlands’ launch campaign really helps to break down and address the myths often attached to weight loss."

"Rowlands’ launch campaign really helps to break down and address the myths often attached to weight loss and I do hope it encourages lots of people to take a pharmacy-first approach to addressing weight loss this New Year.”  

A study by the pharmacy chain found that 27 percent of adults residing in Yorkshire feel motivated to lose weight to improve their health, but 16 percent of adults residing in Yorkshire feel that the language used by healthcare professionals to discuss weight can often make them feel uncomfortable, with a further 13 percent saying they have also found it to be unhelpful in the past.

The initiative will be available at nine Rowlands’ pharmacies across Yorkshire, the Wilsden branch being one of them.