November 2009
Minister for Mental Health Lisa
Neville at Kirralee Kindergarten in Newcomb with Kasey Randall, 5.
Romp and chomp first to reverse childhood obesity
Visiting Kirralee Kindergarten
in Newcomb, Mental Health Minister Lisa Neville said the Geelong Romp and Chomp
project has had great success in promoting the benefits of a healthy diet and
exercise to preschool-aged children.
‘In 2005 we launched the Romp and
Chomp project to tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity and its
negative impact on a child’s health and wellbeing.
‘The Geelong project is the most
successful community-based obesity prevention initiative evaluated to date,
proving for the first time early childhood is the right time to begin to
promote healthy messages.
‘Working with early childhood
settings to support healthy behaviours can prevent the rising trend towards
children becoming overweight.’
The Romp and Chomp program ran
in family day care, kindergartens and childcare centres in Geelong and
Queenscliffe giving families and children services’ staff the support and
information they need to make healthier diet and lifestyle choices for children
in their care.
Ms Neville said these changes to
food, drink and play had been continued by participating agencies and were now
a part of daily programs.
The project was developed by a
group of local organisations in partnership with the Department of Health and
Professor Boyd Swinburn from Deakin University’s World Health Organisation
Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention in Geelong.
Ms Neville said an evaluation of
the program carried out this year by Deakin University had found, for this
first time, a significant reduction in the prevalence of childhood obesity.
The four-year project targeted
about 12,000 children under five in Geelong and Queenscliffe.
Key results from the evaluation
include:
• A drop
in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children of 2.5 per cent in
two-year-olds and 3.4 per cent in 3.5-year-olds;
• Lower
consumption of packaged snacks, fruit juice and cordial;
• A
significant increase in the intake of fruit, vegetables and water;
• Less
time spent watching TV and DVDs.
In Australia, nearly a quarter
of all children are overweight or obese.
In 2008, Access Economics
estimated the total annual cost of obesity for both children and adults in
Australia, including health system costs, productivity and carer’s costs, were
in the order of $58 billion per year.
Ms Neville said studies showed
being obese as a child increased the risk of a range of chronic diseases and
disorders in adulthood particularly type two diabetes and cardiovascular
disease.
‘In addition to preventing
disease, we also know that healthy eating and physical activity have a positive
impact on learning, concentration and optimal child development.’
• Further information is available on the Go for your life website—http://www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au/rompandchomp.
