KIDS’ FITNESS
OCL KIDS’ ZONE
Julie Hilditch, health and physical activity development officer, OCL
Overweight and normal weight children all take part in activities together “Nearly one in five children aged 10–11
years in Oldham are obese and, if the current trend continues, two-thirds will be obese by 2050. Kids’ Zone specifically targets these children: initially we invited every reception and year 6 child taking part in the National Child Measurement Scheme who had a
‘very overweight’ BMI to join. “Bringing them onto the programme
“T
he Kids’ Zone exercise referral scheme, run by OCL and funded by the Oldham Clinical
Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Dragons’ Den project, launched in April 2014. After just a year, it has helped 64.6 per cent of children on the scheme to stabilise their BMI, and 25 per cent to lower it.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE (M.A.D)
Mark Storie, Astley Sports Village director / M.A.D programme co-ordinator
gives them free access to a range of activities including swimming, trampolining, diving, gymnastics, badminton, climbing, table tennis and football. “Stigmatisation can be a big barrier
to uptake for many schemes, but Kids’ Zone sessions are integrated into normal classes at OCL; although the children are chosen for the programme due to their weight, they don’t feel singled out. No-
or activities with their classroom peers, support them with emotional issues, and encourage them to be health-conscious and adopt a healthy lifestyle. “The young people participate in a
10-week programme, in which they use their once-a-week tutorial periods to visit Astley Sports Village in Dukinfield, Cheshire, for an hour of group physical activity such as basketball or dodgeball. “Students are encouraged to be active
by running, throwing and catching, and to try to ensure their team wins. It’s a big thing to get them to want to run for that ball and win that catch against a fellow student, so there’s a focus on team spirit to overcome any apathy towards activity. “This is followed by a 30-minute
“T
he M.A.D. – Make a Difference – programme is for significantly
overweight, inactive students with self-confidence issues. Its aim is to re- educate them to participate in sport
session in the fitness suite, which features networked Precor equipment that enables pupils to input a long-term focus, such as losing weight, and set targets such as distance or calories. They can monitor their progress with the weekly goal summary, which indicates if they’re on or off target. “They also attend an after-school
nutrition session covering food sources, meal plans, timescales of sensible food intake and portion control, and
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one needs to know why they’re attending and this – plus the fact we encourage them to choose their favourite activities to inspire participation and increase attendance – helps them to feel part of the group, join in and get the most from whatever sessions they’re participating in. It’s this inclusiveness that has helped us get strong results. “The project has already helped 103
children to become more involved in physical activity and lower their BMI. On the recommendation of the CCG, we’ve now broadened the scheme and made it available to children who are
‘overweight’, not just those who are ‘very overweight’. What we really want is to prevent, as well as treat, obesity, so opening up the scheme to more children makes sense.”
complete a weekly food diary. A supermarket visit helps them explore healthy meal choices and choose their dinner for that night. “The scheme launched last year
with a pilot of 16 kids, and every member of the group improved their health and wellbeing, lost body fat and improved their cardiovascular system. Their outlook has also changed and self-confidence and self-esteem has been raised. “PE teachers tell us that M.A.D.
kids are now more active and committed to their PE lessons. They don’t feel intimidated because all the children are going through the same thing – they help each other out – which frees them up to engage with the activities. Meanwhile parental feedback shows students have made new friends in and out of school, take more pride in their appearance and are eager to share their workout success and data at home. “Another group of 12 kids are
now going through the programme, and we hope to roll it out to other primary and secondary schools in Tameside this year.” ●
May 2015 © Cybertrek 2015
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