Weight-watch workshops for Plymouth children
CHILDREN'S weight-management workshops are being relaunched across the city in a bid to curb rising obesity rates.
Free after-school MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition...Do it!) sessions will start from January 19 in Whitleigh, Devonport, North Prospect and Plympton.
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The 10-week courses are aimed at overweight and inactive children between the ages of seven and 13.
They were first launched in Plymouth two years ago as part of a national scheme in response to childhood obesity rates.
Government data released last month revealed a quarter of children aged four to five and almost a third of 10- to 11-year-olds in Plymouth are obese or overweight.
Sarah Hind, MEND co-ordinator for NHS Plymouth, which runs the Devonport, North Prospect and Plympton courses, urged families to join up.
"This is a free and fun way to help families concerned about the health of an overweight child and has been proven to be effective in recently-published research", she said.
Adey Hutchins, MEND programme manager for the Sainsbury's-sponsored Whitleigh course, said the scheme improved children's self-esteem as well as physical activity levels and nutrition.
"Rather than focusing on weight loss, the weight management programme is packed with practical and interactive learning to help address the challenges of an unhealthy lifestyle", she said.
"There will be easy recipes to try and lots of quick, healthy meal ideas, a food-tasting evening and even a supermarket tour to help children and families to recognise healthy foods when shopping."
Plymouth gets fatter
The courses, which involve parents as well as children, include twice-weekly two-hour sessions.
Each class comprises an hour of physical activity and an hour's interactive workshop, which alternates between behaviour change and nutrition topics.
Group activities include active games, nutrition classes and recipe-tasting sessions.
Parents learn how to provide healthy meals and ways they can to help their children to become fitter and healthier.
Children can be referred to MEND courses by their parents, health visitor, school nurse, GP or carer.
For more information about the North Prospect, Plympton and Devonport courses contact www.mendprogramme.org or the MEND team on 01752 434623 to see if your child qualifies.
For details of the Whitleigh sessions, phone MEND on 0207 231 7225 or Adey Hutchins, the programme manager, on 07790 205248.
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Obesity costs Plymouth £68million a year
Living in Plymouth can cost you 13 years
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5 Comments
by chloe, plymouth
Thursday, January 08 2009, 11:42AM
“these are good things im 9 stone and i feel like i need to loose weight so send me a website loosing weight .”
by Tess, plymouth
Thursday, January 08 2009, 11:06AM
“SWEETS and FATTY FOODS, they are to blame. Walk into any shop or supermarket and where are the sweets? that's right bottom and second shelves, just in reach of little ones. You say no what happens? the child starts screaming and throwing a tantrum, people are looking and tutting so you get them just to shut the child up. Hyperactivity is quite common now, why? the additives in the junk food and sweets that's why. I feed my children healthy meals six days a week with chips once a week. Not many parents cook meat and two veg any more, it's much easier to cook something and chips, with a bag of crisps and sweets for afters. Try making a desert like apple pie or sugar free jelly. I learnt the hard way, two of my children were overweight and that is why I changed their diets. After all if you keep feeding your kids sweets and junk food you are going to kill them and that is abuse.”
by eric, stoke
Wednesday, January 07 2009, 7:09PM
“Perhaps one of these courses for overweight councilors whose photos we see every two weeks in the herald might be appropriate ? to show an example ?”
by Susan, Plymouth
Wednesday, January 07 2009, 1:33PM
“If children are overweight then it is a case of child abuse and the parents should be prosecuted accordingly, unless of course the child has a medical condition making it overweight.”
by what ever next, plymouth
Wednesday, January 07 2009, 10:04AM
“I am a mum of 6 children. I am very lucky they dont suffer with over weight problems.
But isnt it obvious if its not in the cupboard (fatty foods etc) then the child would not want it. My children have these items but are not greedy. If your children are use to these foods now then cut back on so called bad foods over a period of time. I do notice that most of the children in the school playground that are over weight parents set bad examples like given the child a bar of chocolate as they walk out of class, then the parent will light up a fag and talks to another parent about were they drank at the weekend. These are the type of parents who say I CANT AFFORD HEALTHY FOODS .....set an example you havent got to be the total opposite a health freek out jogging diets here and there just use your head think about it...Think about you child/children..........”