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News
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Written by Carla Preston
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Tuesday, 16 December 2008 10:14 |
Herefordshire’s school measurement programme is achieving greater coverage than ever before according to a National Child Measurement Report published this month.
For the past three years, children across Herefordshire aged 4-5 and 10-11 have been weighed and measured by school nurses as part of the national child measurement programme. The aim of the programme is to gather data for analysis of national trends in underweight, healthy weight and overweight children.
Herefordshire has improved its coverage rate from 80 percent in 2006/7 to 87 percent in 2007/8 and both the PCT and Council would like to thank schools and parents for their continued support. In Herefordshire the percentage of reception children overweight and obese combined is 22.1 percent compared to 22.6 percent nationally, and the percentage of year-six children overweight and obese combined is 30.8 percent compared to 32.6 percent nationally.
The local data will be analysed by the multi-agency obesity task group which will plan local services to help children become healthier.
Developments to date include Sport Unlimited, a three-year Sport England funded programme, to increase participation levels in children’s sport and recreational activities to five hours per week and the BIG Lottery funded Living Well Project with partners in the voluntary sector. In addition, local schools have been waking up to breakfast aerobic sessions, links have been made between schools and Halo leisure centres and work continues to improve school lunches.
Next term the 2008/9 programme begins with a letter being issued through schools to parents of reception and year-six children detailing arrangements to measure their children.
From this coming year, in a bid to help parents to be more aware about healthy lifestyles, and help their children achieve a healthy weight, parents will be sent their child’s results. They will also receive a leaflet with tips to help ensure children and families eat more healthily and fit activity into every day family life.
Dr Akeem Ali, Director of Public Health said: “Research suggests that most parents would like to receive their child’s results from the programme. Being overweight seriously damages your health; fat builds up around your arteries and organs and stops them working properly.
“Too many children are carrying around too much fat in their bodies, putting them at risk of developing a host of serious illnesses including heart disease, cancer and diabetes in later life”.
“Changing our behaviour and the way we live our lives is not easy,” said Catherine Floyd, the PCT obesity lead. She continued, “However support and advice on how to live a healthier lifestyle is available from school nurses, GPs or practice nurses or by visiting the healthy weight calculator on www.nhs.uk .
“Becoming aware of our weight and taking steps to maintain a healthy weight means that in the long run we’ll feel much better and our children will live longer, happier lives”.
Following a successful pilot programme in Leominster this term, a new scheme for 7-13 year olds is to expand to other parts of the county in 2009. MEND (Mind, Exercise Nutrition Do it!) is a completely free fun-filled 10-week programme for overweight children and their families. The sessions include a supermarket tour, fun exercises, label reading, a ‘fabulous food fest’ –food tasting session and much more. By following the MEND principles, children will lose weight naturally and build a foundation for healthy living for life.
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Last Updated on Saturday, 03 January 2009 11:37 |
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