Obesity In Australia

“Schools serve as an excellent venue to provide students with opportunity for daily physical activity, to teach the importance of regular physical activity for health, and to build skills that support active lifestyles”(Robert wood foundation, 2007). In today’s modern society, the importance of physical activity in a child’s development needs to be recognised and promoted. It is important that teachers and parents encourage and facilitate students to participate in programs which enable them to be both physically and mentally active. Encouraging ‘middle aged’ (6-10yrs) children to be involved in physical activity, whether at school or at home, helps their growth and development and also promotes positive factors in their general health and
“In the decade 1985-1995, Australia saw sharp increases in the number of overweight or obese, and conservative estimates suggest that this is increasing by at least 1% per year. These figures do not auger well for the future health and wellbeing of our communities” (NSW Department of Health, 2007). According to this statement, obesity is becoming more prevalent today and percentages are increasing every year. “The 2007/08 national health survey results indicate that 24.9% of children aged 5-17 years are overweight or obese” (Department of Health and Ageing, 2008). The Department of Health and Ageing, (2008) states “the consequences of childhood obesity is its persistence into adulthood”. In most cases when a child has been diagnosed as overweight or obese, the prospects of them becoming healthy and active in adulthood is low, which reinforces why encouraging physical activity and healthy eating habits is of paramount importance at an early age. “Once a child is overweight or obese it is unlikely that they will spontaneously revert to a healthy weight, predisposing them to many health concerns and suffering from an increase in medical conditions” (Department of Health and Ageing, 2008). Physical activity at school and at home can help to reduce and prevent childhood
Teachers can encourage students to bring healthy snacks and lunch to school. To promote this, the teacher can create programs to ensure students are eating healthy nutritious foods whilst at school. An example, allocating particular days to a particular healthy snack such as, on Fridays we will bring fruit for ‘Fruit Friday’. Each child will then bring their desired piece of fruit that day, or ‘Yoghurt Tuesday”. This could be a fun way of encouraging students to bring healthy foods in their lunchboxes. Rewarding children when they eat healthy encourages them also, to continue with these healthy eating habits. The teacher could make a rule that if everyone has their fruit on Friday or yoghurt on Tuesday, they can be rewarded with an activity they enjoy, involving physical movements, for 15mins afterwards as their reward. Teachers can also help to encourage healthy foods in canteens and tuckshops. Replacing foods and drinks which are high in sugar, fatty, unhealthy and have no nutritional value such as chips, soft drink, pastries, lollies with foods low in sugar, less fat and have more nutritional value like, milk, yoghurt, fruit, vegetables and fish. This can help with children’s diet and health. “School canteens can be a major source of food for children and young people. Canteens that only sell healthy and nutritious food encourage good eating habits and can improve the diet of