Fighting childhood obesity

Simple steps for schools and parents

Rates of childhood obesity in Australia are among the highest of developed nations, with around 25% of Australian children (Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey 2007) currently classed as overweight or obese. However, this statistic can be changed through a concerted effort to live healthier lifestyles - an effort Catholic schools are making with their families to ensure our children have a brighter, healthier future.

Since 1985, the percentage of obese children in Australia has tripled, with research showing that around 80% of overweight children will become overweight adults. Investigations into the possible causes of this dramatic increase have revealed a number of factors affecting children’s health, the main ones being:

• increased TV watching and time spent in front of a computer or gaming console (a 2007 survey revealed that 67 per cent of NSW children aged 9-16 years spend more than 2 hours a day in front of a screen)
• more use of the car for transport
• general decreases in physical activity
• an increase in the consumption of high fat and high energy foods

Parents concerned that their child may be overweight or obese, are advised to speak to a doctor or health care professional who can determine whether a child or adolescent's weight is healthy, and they can assist in ruling-out rare medical conditions as the cause of unhealthy weight. Doctors and other health professionals also consider a child's age and growth patterns to determine whether his or her weight is healthy.

The most common way of determining healthy weight, is through the calculation of a Body Mass Index (BMI) from measurements of height and weight. A child is seen to be obese if his/her BMI exceeds the cut-off point for his/her age. Growth charts, such as weight-for-age and weight-for-height, are also used to determine if children are overweight or obese. NSW Health have an online BMI calculator that you can use as a guide, before seeking further advice: www.health.nsw.gov.au/publichealth/healthpromotion/obesity/bmi.asp
Of course this index is only a guide and parents should seek the advice of their medical practitioner if they have concerns.

Although childhood obesity has been described as an 'international epidemic', there are many simple steps that can be taken to improve childhood health. As their child’s primary carer and educator, there is much that parents can do to positively affect the health and nutrition of their children. Some suggestions include:

• being positive role models for children and adolescents through improving their own eating and physical activity habits
• Incorporating physical activities into family routines, such as walking to school or the shops rather than driving
• Increasing water intake and decreasing drinks high in sugar
• Ensuring children and adolescents do at least one hour of physical activity each day
• Restricting TV, computer and gaming use to two hours a day
• Providing plenty of opportunities for children and adolescents to eat healthy foods such as fruits (at least 2 serves a day) and vegetables (at least 5 serves a day)
• Reducing intake of foods that are high in salt sugar and saturated fats
• Kick-starting young metabolisms by providing a nutritious breakfast everyday, which has the added benefit of helping children improve their concentration and learning at school

If you have concerns about your child’s weight, a focus on changing the whole family's activity levels will prevent your child feeling singled out.

Avoid putting your child on a diet, unless advised by your medical practitioner, as this may deprive them of essential nutrients. Instead, focus on feeding the whole family healthy food. Eating healthily is just as important away from home, but many parents find it a struggle to come up with enticing and healthy options for school lunch boxes. Following are some suggestions for inspiration.

Fill the lunchbox with a variety of healthy foods. Be sure to include plenty of fresh fruit, salad vegetables and bread or low fat cracker biscuits. Put in low fat protein food such as meats, fish and dairy products.

Try a variety of breads and rolls such as wholemeal, mixed grain, white hi-fibre, bagels, pocket, lavash, focaccia, turkish and flat breads. Use margarine/butter sparingly. If sandwich filling is moist (i.e. avocado, cheese, salad etc) try to leave out margarine/butter. Dairy foods, meat and eggs need to be kept cold. Put a frozen drink bottle or ice block in with the lunch box or use a cooler bag. Cut sandwiches into strips or use a shape cutter for a novelty.

Try these sandwich fillings and snacks:

• lean roast beef, lamb or pork with tomato and lettuce
• light cream cheese, grated carrot and sultanas
• Low fat cheese, pineapple and lettuce
• licotta or cottage cheese, tuna and snow pea sprouts
• lean ham and fruit chutney
• tabouli salad, lettuce and fetta cheese
• bananas mashed with ricotta cheese
• hummus, sliced tomato and sprouts
• tuna or salmon with low fat mayonnaise
• slice of fruit loaf/bun/raisin bread
• fruit/date/pumpkin/plain scone
• cup of popcorn (pop in the microwave) - add a small amount of dried fruit for variety
• handful of home made pita chips (cut pita bread into triangles, sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and bake 180ºc 15 - 20 minutes until crisp)
• tub of low fat fruit yoghurt (freeze the night before in warmer months)
• piece of fresh fruit or 1 cup of fruit salad in a container or canned fruit snack pack

Children spend a large proportion of their day at school, so they have the opportunity to eat a large portion of their daily food intake and be physically active at school. This makes it vital for schools to work in partnership with parents to ensure that they teach young people how to adopt and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Parramatta are committed to promoting healthy lifestyles, as shown by programs that already exist in many of the schools. Holy Family Primary, Emerton focus on a healthy start to their day, running a daily fitness program for their students following morning assembly. Principal Sr Brenda Kennedy said the idea for aerobics before classes came out of concern for the increasing number of students in the community who were not getting enough exercise.

'We are doing what we can to stimulate our students and ensure they are alert and ready to learn when lessons start. We are trying to demonstrate how important it is to be fit and healthy if you want to achieve your full potential,' said Sr Brenda.

Holy Cross Primary, Glenwood recently partnered with Healthy Kids School Canteen Association (Healthy Kids) and online ordering company MunchMonitor, to make healthy food choices easy choices for parents. Healthy Kids is a not-for-profit, non-government, health promotion organisation who manage the daily canteen operations. Through a team of nutritionists, Healthy Kids aims to provide positive nutrition messages through food, education and practical hands-on involvement with the students.

In addition to the focus on healthy foods, Holy Cross is aiming to make life easier for parents by installing MunchMonitor, an online ordering system for school canteens where parents log onto www.munchmonitor.com, set-up an account and place meal orders. 

Principal Leanne Nettleton, says the response from parents has been overwhelmingly positive.

'We have established a three-way partnership to help us reach our goals of improving student nutrition and making life easier for parents. The enthusiastic response from our parent community reflects the co-operative nature of our school,' Leanne said.

Schools have a vital role when it comes to children’s health, with research showing that well-designed, well-implemented school programs can effectively promote physical activity and healthy eating. The actions of schools and parents combined have the power to reverse the worrying trend of childhood obesity, and all that is really required is the promotion of healthy habits.

Sources:

NSW Department of Health www.health.nsw.gov.au

Good for Kids www.goodforkids.nsw.gov.au

Westmead Children’s Hospital www.chw.edu.au

NSW Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (SPANS) 2004: Summary Report, Booth M, Okely AD, Denney-Wilson E, Hardy L, Yang B, Dobbins T.

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