Tackling childhood obesity
*Names have been changed
The project has already helped 96 children to become more involved in physical activity and lower their BMI, but it has met with challenges. “We initially contacted schools via email, and the school nurses sent out referrals on our behalf. But for a number of reasons, this wasn’t very effective and uptake was much lower than we’d hoped,” explains Julie. “At the end of last year, on the recommendation of the Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group, we tried some different tactics and became more directly involved with the schools. We allowed the referral to come from anyone – parents, GPs and teachers. I attended school cluster meetings and passed on the information to school representatives there. We had some really good feedback. One school invited us to have a stand at its Fun Day, where we gave out leaflets, and another referred a pupil directly.”
The broadening of the scheme is also key to its success. The criteria was changed to include ‘overweight’, as well as ‘very overweight’, and two pilot schools are having the scheme opened to all pupils, whatever their BMI. “What we really want is to prevent, as well as treat, obesity, so opening up the scheme to all children at these schools makes sense. It’s about establishing a mind-set of healthy activity and healthy eating at an early age,” says Julie. “At one of our pilot schools, we held a drop-in session for parents and carers of Reception children as they dropped the kids off in the morning. Then we did another session after school on Friday, where we put up a bouncy castle in the school hall and gave out information to parents while the kids jumped around. The school has been really surprised by how much response we’ve had from the parents – it’s really encouraging.”
It’s about educating the parents, as much as the children, says Julie. Research suggests that many families do not perceive childhood obesity in the same way as health services and professionals. They don’t see it as a ticking health time bomb; in fact, many don’t even think of it as a problem at all. “The higher prevalence of obesity in year 6 children compared to reception age children emphasises the importance of supporting parents during the primary school years, and in supporting the primary school age children as they grow and develop. We can see that the children who have made the most progress are the ones who have the most backing from their families,” says Julie. “The scheme is family oriented – as well as the classes, we also hold active family sessions, such as family badminton, squash and climbing. The older children can attend fitness classes like yoga or Zumba with an adult, and there’s Tumble Fun for the little ones. At the request of our project participants, we’ve just introduced Family Table Tennis, too.
“We’ve also noticed it also has a knock-on effect on other members of the child’s family. The scheme has greatly increased the families’ uptake of the OCL Active card – which costs £2 to buy (free for some concessions) and offers locals up to a 50% discount on Pay-As-You-Go prices – and parents have told us we’ve helped to change their shopping habits and get them, their child and siblings eating more healthily and all exercising together.”
And the parents, it seems, agree. “We found out about the scheme through school, as my daughter was overweight at her weigh-in, so I contacted Julie and made an appointment,” says Jan*, mum to Sarah*, who took part in the scheme. “My daughter had a preference for swimming, so we went
18
www.education-today.co.uk March 2015
together once a week and I must admit it was lovely to spend time with my daughter and also get fit myself. We’d meet Julie once a month for a progress report where my daughter could be weighed and discuss how she was getting on. This included guidance on the sugar content of food and drink, so she was able to see which foods had hidden sugars and where she could improve. She was on the scheme for six months and lost a dress size, and also improved her confidence.” Schools can also benefit from the healthier lifestyles of pupils on schemes such as Kids’ Zone, and a number of studies have shown that regular exercise can improve academic performance. “I’ve heard of children who are struggling academically being given extra tuition when their classmates are doing PE. This sends out completely the wrong message, but I also think it’s not helpful for teachers,” says Julie. “Parents have told me their children’s concentration levels have increased and even their academic ability after taking part in the scheme. It gives the children more confidence, too, and a few parents have commented on how their children are sleeping better and seem less irritable.” Children who are not only slimmer and fitter, but also more engaged and focused is surely a win for all – parents, teachers, and above all, the kids themselves.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44