Concern about the inactivity of your child and too much stimulated play are valid. Sedentary leisure time pursuits are now widely available to children and are replacing more traditional active pastimes and the outcome of this is becoming alarmingly clear.
Did you know that;
- Around a quarter of Australian children are now overweight or obese and conservative estimates suggest this is increasing by atleast 1% per year.
- Around 80% of these obese young people become obese adults.
- Since the 1980s the amount of overweight and obese Australian children has more than doubled.
Obesity in childhood causes significant physical health effects, including raised blood pressure, high cholesterol and elevated blood sugar. There is an increasing number of cases of type 2 diabetes being diagnosed in Australian adolescents. Other problems include orthopaedic complications due to excessive weight bearing upon joints, sleep apnoea, asthma and fatty liver. It also affects their mental health by generating poor body image and self esteem, issues that children carry for life.
Two of the main ways to avoid childhood obesity are simply a healthy diet free from over processed foods and those high in fat and an active lifestyle.
Physical activity not only ensures that children maintain a healthy weight, it has a significant impact on behaviour, concentration and their ability to learn.
It is widely considered that attitudes towards physical activity are established at an early age; parents therefore have a prime responsibility to encourage their children to engage in active play to help prevent problems associated with childhood obesity, stress and poor self esteem.
Live play create are focused on the challenge to provide kids a healthy, active and balanced lifestyle. We choose to develop and stock products designed to ignite a kid’s natural passion for independence, exhilaration and old fashioned, simple fun.
The tike is a fantastic tool for encouraging the exhilaration and fun of activity from an early age. It also develops critical motor skills and coordination, fundamental to future learning and sporting prowess.
Reference – The Prevention of obesity in children and young people – NSW Government action plan 2003-2007
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Tags: health, parenting, self esteem
