Could this be the answer to Ireland’s Childhood Obesity Crisis?

The South Eastern Health Board is looking at ways of tackling the Obesity Timebomb. Obesity is rapidly becoming one of the most important medical and public health problems of our time.  Its role as a health hazard in adults has been well recognised for some time but its prevalence among our nation’s children has only recently been identified.  In a study conducted in the SEHB region among 9-11 year olds, 33% of those assessed were overweight, of which 8% were clinically obese (Burns et al., 2004).  This data is consistent with evidence of an epidemic of adult obesity and supports the view that efforts to prevent obesity should begin in early childhood. 

The “Childsplay”, physical activity programme for children from 0-5, originally designed in New Zealand and recently piloted in the SE region, has the potential to do just that!   Childsplay is delivered in three parts, The Baby Programme (0-12 months), The Toddler Programme (1-3 years) and The Pre-School Programme (3-5 years). Atlantic Sports Management Training (ASMT), based in Kinsale, Co. Cork , is implementing the Childsplay programme in Ireland and is working closely with regional Health Boards to bring it to every home nationwide (see www.atlanticsport.ie).

Paula Carroll, Research Officer, Health Promotion Department, South Eastern Health Board says, “The aim of the programme is to educate parents in order to establish positive physical activity habits in their children thereby reducing the risk of them becoming obese.   Parents are also encouraged to interact with their children through “active play”.  Ideally parental education should begin in the antenatal class and reinforced once their baby is born.

“The Programme provides each parent with a manual of games and activities right from Day 1 and promotes normal physical development and activity.”

The SEHB hope to adopt this approach later in the year. Training of childcare providers and childcare committee members has already begun in the SE region.  Trainees not only have begun to get the children in their care more active through play but many have run workshops to get parents involved too.  Parents throughout the region are being reminded of the value of “play” and they are thoroughly loving it! 

ASMT have trained 30 coaches and operators in the region and the manuals have been delivered to 300 parents and their children and the response has been excellent: “Many parents have expressed how their level of interaction with their children has improved.  Delighted with the warm up, activity and cool down.  Children are more focused and are calmer when activity is over.  They are more clued into children’s likes and dislikes.”

Further work is required to see if activity levels in the children have increased but there is much anecdotal evidence from the pilot study to suggest that this is the case.  It is believed that the benefits of the earliest possible intervention will be rewarded long into adolescence and adulthood where the habits developed in youth will be sustained.  So perhaps this programme really could provide us with the solution to the childhood obesity epidemic which is currently gripping our nation?

For further information or to arrange an interview with the SEHB or Atlantic Sports Management & Training Ltd (ASMT)contact: Audrey Lambourn, Communications Department, 086 221 5826