School Aged Children

• The importance of the school setting• Hearty Lives • MEND• SHINE• Food for Life

Hearty Lives Cornwall

at the Healthy Weight ConferenceEden 17th October 2012

Kate Pordage / Aimee Pascoe Cornwall Healthy Schools Team

British Heart Foundation is a registered charity in

England and Wales (225971)

and in Scotland (SC039426)

Why Schools?

• ‘The considerable amount of time children and young people spend in school means that schools have the potential for fulfilling an important role in promoting the health and well-being of children and young people and laying the foundations for healthier outcomes in adulthood…’

‘Fair Society, Healthy Lives’

(The Marmot Review)

Why Schools?

• Childhood obesity is an issue for attainment and achievement

• School seen as an effective setting e.g. in ‘Marmot’ and the public health strategy

• School at the centre of wider community• Evidence base emerging that work with

parents and children works

23.6%22.9%

21.7%

20.5%

18.9%17.9%

16.6%15.7%

14.6%

12.6%12.6%12.0%

11.4%10.7%

9.7%9.0%

8.3% 7.9% 7.5%6.8%

Mostdeprived

Leastdeprived

© NOO 2011

Prevalence of obesity by deprivation decile Children in Reception and Year 6 (National Child Measurement Programme 2009/10)

Reception

Year 6

% prevalence of obese children in CIOS by local deprivation quintile (n≈8160)

7.19.8 10.3 11.2 10.8

15.9 16.3 17.2 16.8

20.4

1 2 3 4 5

Local deprivation quintile (1=least deprived, 5=most deprived)

Perc

enta

ge o

f chi

ldre

n (b

ased

on

08-

11 N

CMP

3yr

aver

age)

Obese at reception

Obese at year 6

Risk Factors for Obesity

• Primary risk factors for obesity in later childhood are:

1. Watching more than 8 hours TV a week

2. Sleeping fewer than 10.5 hours each night

3. Above average birth weight

4. Both parents obese

• One study suggests that a child who watches more than 5• hours of TV a day is 4.6 times more likely to be obese than one• who watches less than an hour a day.

• This link is partially due to sedentary time, but also partly to • eating in front of the TV, and also advertising seen by the children.

Recognition of obesity

• Many of us recognise that childhood obesity is an issue – 93% of parents agree – however only 5% of parents believe their child is overweight or obese.

• Parents tend to over estimate the amount of activity their children do and under estimate the amount of food they eat.

• More and more parents lack the knowledge, skills and confidence to cook from scratch.

• Some parents (particularly mothers) admit to lacking the confidence to take part in activity with their children

Hearty Lives Cornwall Levels of School Support /

EngagementLevel 1

• A series of in-school activities and opportunities* • Awareness raising / training for teachers / parents and carers• Identify a ‘School Champion’

Level 2

• Host a full Families in it Together (FIT) course for parents / children • Develop role of the School Champion (who can access accredited

training)

Level 3

• Sustainability – continue to deliver level 1 and 2 over 3 years. • Sustainability supported by School Champion who can offer training

and guide in-school activities.

*See diagram 2 below

Hearty Lives Level One