It’s taken a while to get all the data crunched but now that we have we know that 2015-16 was our best ever year for parents reached on the 8 week HENRY programme Healthy Families: Right from the Start with HENRY. A total of 1,857 parents joined a HENRY programme meaning that more than 8,000 parents have now benefitted from the programme since we started 9 years ago.

We’ve also had some great outcomes for participating parents in 2015-16. Here are the highlights:

• 80% of parents completed the programme
• 92% of parents were leading a healthy lifestyle by the end of the programme compared with only 22% at the start
• 30% average increase in fruit & vegetable consumption in children
• 31% of children decreased consumption of food high in sugar or fat
• 43% of children eating fruit & vegetables at recommended levels after the programme
• 97% parents said the programme was good or great
• 88% would ‘definitely’ recommend the HENRY programme to others

These results are similar to those found by an independent academic study published earlier this year in the peer-reviewed journal Public Health.

Here are a selection of our favourite quotes this year came from parents who joined the programme describing the changes they made and the impact on their lives.

• “Life changing – healthier snacks, better meal planning, feeling more calm in myself, a million times better in my son’s wellbeing, very nurtured”
• “I have made lots of changes: using reward chart opposed to sweets, encouraging my children by using a positive soft tone of voice and praising them often, eating as a family, more active play and different activities set out on a daily basis for children”
• “Happier children, happier parents, better eating, more positive attitudes towards each other”
• “We have become consciously more active and reduced TV time. We have increased our portions of fruit and veg and reduced sugar in our diets. I have tried to empathise more with my children’s feelings”
• “HENRY changed the way I looked at parenting and I have made many positive changes”
• “A lot more confident mum to my children, I actually feel like a proper mum now with fair boundaries”
• “I will be using the HENRY tool kit on a daily basis and I will be leading a healthy lifestyle for my family. I will miss the facilitators, they gave me encouragement to lead a healthy lifestyle for my whole family”
• “We are happy but new in the country. We are now getting used to the system here and this programme has been a great support to me. [The facilitators] are both fantastic, professional and more than that they are very nice human beings. Thank you for your support and help”
• “Helped me a lot as a parent, helping me for the future and to give my child the best chance and start in life”
• “The programme works well. The tools given to use are very good. My little girl loves reading the HENRY books”
• “It covered all areas of parenting. I feel a lot more confident now and meal times are no longer a chore. I am enjoying time with my child so much more”
• “I give more fruit and veg now than before. I have cut down massively on junk foods and am more organised than I was”