Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

In a sweeping mid-March decision, the administration for a British elementary school banned sweets from nearly every type of student event, including fund raisers and birthday celebrations. Parents are not happy about the change, with one even calling the new rule "draconian."

Mum Angela Craig said: "As a parent, I am really cross at being dictated to like this. Up until this point, I think the school had handled the situation beautifully." & George Strang, whose grandchildren attend [the school] said: "I have written to the school asking if this is an early April Fool. If not, it is political correctness gone mad." [Source: Mearns (UK) Leader]

Head teacher Gail Macfarlane said the decision to ban sweets was based on the schools interpretation of guidelines laid out in the latest edition of Healthy Eating in Schools. The decision was also influenced by a small minority of parents who wanted junk food eliminated from the school.

Many schools in both the UK and the United States have banned junk foods in an effort to improve student health and reduce rates of childhood obesity.

Labels: UK, schools, junk food

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 1 Comment

Officials with The Brighton and Hove City (UK) Primary Care Trust will be sending letters to parents of Year Six students to inform them if their children are overweight. Those whose children are deemed overweight or obese will also get food and exercise recommendations. (Year Six in the United Kingdom is equivalent to fifth grade in the U.S. system.)

An Aug. 12 article by Siobhan Ryan of The Argus provided the following details on this effort:

Health bosses claim the intention is to support parents to make important lifestyle changes to help their child reach a healthy weight ... Figures from the 2007/08 measurement programme show that 21 percent of reception [kindergarten-age] children and 31 percent of year 6 children were overweight.

"Modern living can really make it hard for children to maintain a healthy weight," PCT public health development manager Lydie Lawrence said in Ryan's article. "If this trend [of childhood overweight and obesity] continues, nine out of ten children may grow up with dangerous amounts of fat in their bodies which puts them at greater risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease as adults."

Source: The Argus (UK)

Labels: childhood_obesity, UK, schools, overweight children

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Somerset County (Great Britain) is making an educational DVD available to schools, parents, and health professionals who want practical information on fighting childhood obesity.

"The 15-minute film shows ways in which children, their families and schools have worked together to promote healthy weight and wellbeing. Healthy schools coordinator Clare Laker said: 'It highlights that being overweight or obese causes many problems for children.'"

The DVD cost about $6,800 to produce and was funded through the county council and the Somerset Healthy School Programme. Source: Somerset Standard

Developed by leading researchers from the U.S. and Europe, Wellspring UK is among the most effective weight loss programmes for children and adolescents. Wellspring UK includes a Lower Camp for ages 11  18 years old, plus an Upper Camp for adults aged 18  24.

Labels: UK, schools, parents

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments