Informing parents about ‘health time bomb’ for children

LACK of physical activity and poor diet is a “health time bomb for our children”. This is the stark message from Sixmilebridge charity RedBranch, who have launched a Parents for Health initiative.

The charity is running a free Parents for Health information evening at Glór, Ennis next Wednesday from 7.30pm to 9pm.
According to the charity, there are a range of simple steps parents can take to protect their children from a lifetime of ill-health. RedBranch are now working directly with parents through the Parents for Health initiative.
According to David Egan, CEO of RedBranch, “Parents have a vital influence on the health habits of children. By helping our kids to have good eating habits and to be physically active, we can help our children to avoid serious illness in later life. We can also help our children to reach and maintain a healthy weight.”
He added that many Irish children have unhealthy lifestyle habits. “Over 80% of children do not consume enough fruit and vegetables, even though the World Health Organisation say these foods are essential for good health, helping to prevent heart disease and certain cancers. By way of contrast, over 40% of children eat sweets every day and one quarter of kids consume unhealthy fizzy drinks every day.
“In addition, many children do not get enough physical activity for good health. The unhealthy lifestyle habits of our children are reflected in the high rate of childhood obesity, which is reaching epidemic proportions. More than a quarter of Irish children are overweight and some studies suggest 61% of Irish adults are overweight or obese.
“Many parents aren’t aware of how they can positively influence their child’s health. We all want the best for our children but are we doing enough to protect them from serious adult diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers? These diseases don’t just develop overnight. They have their roots in childhood and are directly linked to poor lifestyle habits – eating too much junk food, not eating enough fruit and veg and basically being a couch potato. This isn’t necessarily the fault of parents, as we are surrounded by unhealthy options; junk food is marketed to our kids and it’s all to easy for us to be passive in our daily lives,” he said.
”There are many families who have been affected by cancer, heart disease and stroke, my own included. But we don’t have to accept this situation. These diseases don’t have to run in the family, there is something we can do to help our children avoid them – give them healthy habits.”
Parents for Health enables parents to help their children be active and eat well. According to Mr Egan, “Healthy lifestyle isn’t rocket science. Any parent can take control of the situation and ensure their children develop healthy habits. In many cases, the solutions are incredibly simple.
“We’re saying to parents, make some simple changes and help your children maintain a healthy weight and avoid a range of really nasty illnesses in adulthood. Parents for Health is all about putting parents back in control.”
RedBranch have been very active in Clare over the past few years, helping to raise awareness of health issues in schools across the county. The charity has also improved the school food environment in a number of local schools, including Ennis Community College, where they started a healthy school cafe. Two-thirds of schools in Clare have removed fizzy drinks vending machines as a result of the charity’s work.
The website, www.parentsforhealth.org, is full of practical resources that help parents to keep children healthy. Many of the resources have been developed by parents with the support of the RedBranch Health Promotion Team and the initiative has a growing community of parents on Facebook (ParentsForHealth).
“The free Parents for Health information evening in Glór next Wednesday will help parents learn about the importance of healthy lifestyle in children and will outline a range of practical ways to help children make healthier choices. The evening will give parents an opportunity to ask questions and share their own experiences. Any parent will gain something from the evening but it might be particularly useful for parents that need some extra help,” added Mr Egan.
“The more we get parents talking about healthy lifestyle issues the better. Come along to Glór next Wednesday evening and have your say. We’d love to meet you and hear about the challenges you face and hopefully help you to make some positive changes,” Mr Egan concluded.