Published: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 in Psychology & Sociology

Since girls typically are less physically active than boys, a Kansas State University researcher has looked to organizations like Girl Scouts to provide education and incentives to get girls moving early in life and instill lifelong healthy habits.

Richard Rosenkranz, assistant professor in human nutrition at K-State, conducted  a study using interventions with Girl Scout troops. He trained group leaders to instruct exercise sessions and promote healthful eating, teaching the girls about a healthy lifestyle and increasing their participation in exercise activities.
 
The two-year study involved nine troops, with five of the troops receiving an intervention. Rosenkranz trained the group leaders as part of the intervention including nutrition, family meals, physical activity and family connectionas well as the expectations of being role models and providing a healthful environment at meetings. He also introduced new physically active games for the girls and emphasized walking, dancing, active games and yoga - activities that can be done around home, without special equipment, ideally involving  parents.

The interventions created the same amount of activity for all demographics and there was no difference by minority or weight status.

Yoga for Kids is being touted as a healthy non-competitive activity that encourages body awareness and creative movement as well as exercise, ability to follow direction and socialize with peers. Exposing children to stretching and strength building also instills some of the values of a healthy lifestyle.

But it requires  special techniques to teach children, based on keeping classes social, interesting and playful. Many poses can be connected to animals or objects or done in partners.Reported on examiner.com, June 22.

Ontarians earn a "C" average, room for improvement

TORONTO, June 23 /CNW/ - A resounding 81 per cent of Ontarians plan toparticipate in water-based activities this summer. Yet, according to a reportcard released today by the Lifesaving Society, Ontario residents are not getting straight "A"s when it comes to knowing how to keep children safe at the lake, beach or pool. The first-ever report card on water safety and drowning prevention was developed from results of a June 2009 Angus Reid Strategies poll that was commissioned by the Lifesaving Society, a charitable organization working to prevent drowning.

Overall, the Lifesaving Society gives a "C" grade to Ontarians for having an average of 60 per cent in water safety knowledge. But the LifesavingSociety says an "A+" is needed to ensure we are vigilant in preventing drowning deaths.

"When it comes to water safety and drowning prevention knowledge, Ontarioscores really well on some issues," says Barbara Byers, Public Education Director for the Lifesaving Society. "However, the results of this report card show that there is still a lot that can be learned to keep children safe inand around water."

Report card on water safety and drowning prevention:
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ontario adults who:   -Score-Grade
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Think an adult should be within 2 feet of a child under the age of five when near water - 43%-F
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Think that water wings, arm floaties and inflatable rings or tubes are effective flotation devices for young children -33%-  F
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Believe that when someone is drowning they will wave their arms around, make lots of noise and splash water - 32%- F
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Understand that drowning is often silent - 62% - C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enrolled their child (children) in formal swimming lessons -80% - A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Believe that a lifejacket will keep a child under the age of five safe in the water - 85% - A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Think that the best method for restricting children's access to a backyard pool is a four-sided fence - 82%  - A
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The grades are based on the proportion of respondents who agree or disagree with a specific action that is deemed in the best interest of safety. A higher incidence of respondents who agree with a safe action leads to a better grade.

Stay 'within arms' reach'
According to the Society, one of Ontario's worst grades on the reportcard is an "F," for not knowing how close an adult should be to a child underthe age of five when they're in or near the water. In fact, only 43 per centof Ontarians know that they should be within two feet of a child five or under when near water.

Byers says if you're not 'within arms' reach' of your child, you've gone too far. "The reality is that drowning can happen very quickly, in as little as 10 seconds. Yet, the report card shows that more than half (52 per cent) of respondents would not be close enough to save a young child if they were drowning. Anything further away than two feet is not 'within arms' reach' andit is simply not safe."

Drowning is silent
Another water safety area where Ontarians need improvement is in recognizing the signs of drowning. Only 62 per cent of residents realize that drowning is often silent; 32 per cent believe drowning victims will wave their arms around, make lots of noise and splash water.
Drowning can take place in as little as 10 seconds and is a silent killer. It can occur in just inches of water, such as a bathtub or wading pool. The Lifesaving Society stresses that parents never leave their children alone near water because they may not hear a child who is in the process ofdrowning. 

Lifejackets and swimming lessons save lives
Ontario residents did earn an "A" grade as 85 per cent of respondents choose a lifejacket as an effective device to keep a young child safe in the water. However, the Lifesaving Society says that despite this knowledge, still one in three (33 per cent) deemed water wings, arm floaties and inflatable rings or tubes as effective flotation devices for young children, which theyare not.
"A lifejacket is absolutely the best and only flotation device thatshould be used to keep young children safe when they are in or around water. The lifejacket will bring the child into the upright position should they fall into water face first whereas water wings or inflatable rings or tubes will not," says Byers. "And, it's important to stress that everyone should wear a lifejacket when they are boating or waterskiing."
The Lifesaving Society is pleased to see that 80 per cent of Ontario parents say that their children have participated in swimming lessons, earning them another "A". "We're encouraged to see an increase in enrollment," says Byers. That's up from approximately 40 per cent nine years ago (according to astudy conducted by the Society in 2000). Byers adds that the significant riselikely reflects the fact that more than 160,000 children have completed theSociety's 'Swim to Survive' program in the past three years.
"We have made tremendous strides in the past several years with 'Swim toSurvive,' but it's important to remember that drowning remains one of the leading causes of death among children, and our efforts to educate and teachneed to continue until that is no longer the case. Our goal is to teach 'Swim to Survive' to every child before he/she graduates elementary school."

Restricting children's access to a backyard pool
Eighty-two (82) per cent say a four-sided fence is the best way to restrict access to a backyard pool. According to Byers, she is delighted to see such a high grade among Ontarians for knowing how to best secure a backyard pool. 
"Every municipality has their own bylaw on fencing pools, and all of them, except Toronto, require that backyard pools be fenced on three sides,with the fourth side being the house. However, the reality is that most toddlers drown in backyard pools, and most children who drown in backyard pools gain access from the house. The Lifesaving Society, along with most Ontarians, agrees with the City of Toronto's approach. Toronto is at the forefront, and has the only bylaw in North America which requires that all four sides of a pool to be fenced."
In Canada, drowning is the second leading cause of preventable death for children under 10 years of age. According to the 2009 Ontario Drowning Report Update, released by the Lifesaving Society, nearly 500 Canadians die each year in water-related incidents. The number of water-related deaths in Ontario is on the rise. In Ontario in 2005(*), there were 164 deaths, or 33 per cent of the national total. There were 132 drowning deaths in Ontario in 2004, and 128 in 2003.
 
About the survey
From June 4 to June 8, 2009, Angus Reid Strategies conducted an online survey among a randomly selected, representative sample of 801 adult Ontarians. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 3.46%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to Statistics Canada's most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a representative sample of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

About the 2009 Drowning Report Update
The Drowning Report information is sourced from the Lifesaving Society and the Chief Coroner's Office, Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General.(*)2009 results showcase 2005 figures, which is the most recent year for which data is available.

About The Lifesaving Society 
The Lifesaving Society, Canada's lifeguarding experts, is a charitable organization working to prevent drowning and water-related injury through itstraining programs, Water Smart(R) public education and safety managementservices. Each year in Canada, more than half a million people participate inthe Society's swim, lifesaving, lifeguarding and leadership courses.

For moreinformation, please visit www.lifesavingsociety.com.

OTTAWA, June 17 /CNW Telbec/ - Research to reduce childhood obesity received a $1.9 million boost with new funding announced today. The funding comes from a four-way partnership involving the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Rx&D Health Research Foundation (HRF), the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada.

The research projects aim to better understand eating and exercise behaviours and to explore new ways that Canadian children can avoid obesity or control it. Currently, more than one in four Canadian children and youth are overweight or obese, with a much greater risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. The five newly funded projects will: 

• implement a web-based survey of diet and physical activity among Cree schoolchildren in the Hudson and James Bay regions (Rhona Hanning at the University of Waterloo); 
• study how family, peers and school environments affect the attempts of overweight adolescents to lose weight (Louise Masse, Jean Pierre Chanoine, and Josie Geller at the University of British Columbia and the Child Family Research Institute); 
• study how diet and activity changes made by overweight mothers-to-be can reduce the chances of their children becoming overweight (Michelle Mottola, at the University of Western Ontario);
• study how urban street design can lead to neighbourhoods that foster behaviours to reduce weight (Nazeem Muhajarine and Cordell Neudorf, at the University of Saskatchewan); and 
• study public awareness of the federal Children's Fitness Tax Credit as well as its use and impact on decisions about participation in physical activity (Barbara von Tigerstrom, at the University of Saskatchewan).

"Controlling obesity and the diseases related to it requires research into wellness strategies that allow individual Canadians - starting especially with our children - to better maintain their personal health through healthy lifestyles," said Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR. "Partnerships with stakeholders play a key role in this regard, and I am very pleased to join with Rx&D Health Research Foundation, The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and Health Canada to fund these projects."

"More and more of our children are sedentary, have too much screen time, and are eating unhealthy foods," says Sally Brown, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. "This imminent health crisis is preventable. We need to find solutions to address childhood obesity and help our kids before they become the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents."

"Our Foundation has made reducing and preventing childhood obesity a core priority and we know that working as partners, we can accomplish much more," says Dr. Yves Morin, Chair of the Rx&D Health Research Foundation. "We are tremendously excited about this initiative working in collaboration with our partners toward our common goal which is healthier, happier children."

"Prevention is crucial to better health especially as it applies to our children," said Russell Williams, President of Canada's Research Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D). "I believe partnerships like this one are crucial to find innovative ways to combat this growing problem which is affecting the health of our children."

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy. www.heartandstroke.ca.
 
The Rx&D Health Research Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support health research in Canadian academic health centres and to promote the value of health research in Canada. Founded in 1964 by Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D), the HRF applies the highest standards of scientific excellence to address health challenges of great importance to Canadian society. It accomplishes this through a longstanding tradition of establishing partnerships with the academic field and government. As one of the leading private health research foundations in the country, the HRF contributes significantly to the prevention and treatment of disease and to a better health care system. www.canadapharma.org/HRF.

For further information:
David Coulombe, Media Relations, CIHR, (613) 941-4563, mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca;
François Lessard, Communications, Rx&D, (613) 236-0455, flessard@canadapharma.org;
Jane-Diane Fraser, Communications Coordinator, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, (613) 569-4361 ext 273, JFraser@hsf.ca

June 12, 2009, Toronto -- Rogers Media is proud to join AstraZeneca Canada and Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada) as a presenting partner of the school-based children's wellness initiative, At My Best. The program addresses three key areas of wellness-physical, nutritional and emotional-and empowers teachers, parents and caregivers to inspire and motivate children and their families to make healthier choices today and develop lifelong healthy habits.

A recent report found Canadian school children's physical activity levels received an F grade for the third year in a row with only 13 per cent of Canadian children and youth meeting the minimum recommendation of 90 minutes of physical activity per day. In addition, most children are not getting the daily minimum requirement of fruits and vegetables, and a quarter of Canadian children are either overweight or obese. At My Best is a comprehensive and innovative solution to these issues.

"This partnership is a great example of the public and private sector working together to make a difference in the lives of Canadians," says Andrea Grantham, Executive Director, PHE Canada. "Because Rogers Media and AstraZeneca Canada have taken a leadership role in supporting At My Best, we can make an even greater impact in meeting our goal of delivering quality health and physical education programs like At My Best to schools across the country."

PHE Canada and AstraZeneca Canada assembled a team of educators with expertise in physical education, nutrition, health promotion and children's wellness. Parents, children and health experts co-created a comprehensive, turn-key program to; reduce childhood obesity rates, improve nutritional health and raise children's self-esteem.

"We are thrilled to work with AstraZeneca Canada and PHE Canada on this important program," says Brian Segal, President, Rogers Publishing Limited. "We have always had a genuine commitment to the community and this joint venture is especially gratifying as we have joined forces with AstraZeneca, to forge a partnership that will better serve our own constituency."

Created for students in kindergarten to grade three, At My Best launched in October 2008 and has rolled out to 1,000 schools in English and French across the country in the 2008/09. The program, which has been officially endorsed by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, will be rolled out to another 1,000 schools each year.

"AstraZeneca is committed to taking an active leadership role in supporting healthy initiatives such as At My Best," says Mark Jones, President and CEO, AstraZeneca Canada. "We are excited and proud that Rogers Media is working in partnership to inspire and motivate families to make healthier choices today, and develop lifelong healthy habits."

For additional information about At My Best, please visit www.atmybest.ca.

About Rogers Media
Rogers Media is Canada's premier combination of category-leading radio and television broadcasting, publishing, sports entertainment and online properties. Its Radio group operates 53 radio stations across Canada, while its Television properties include the five-station Citytv network; its network of multicultural OMNI television stations; Rogers Sportsnet, a specialty sports television service licensed to provide regional sports programming across Canada; and The Shopping Channel, Canada's only nationally televised shopping service. Media's Publishing group produces more than 70 well–known consumer magazines and trade and professional publications in Canada. Media's Sports Entertainment assets include the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club and Rogers Centre, Canada's largest sports and entertainment facility.

About Physical and Health Education Canada
Physical and Health Education Canada, formerly the Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD), is a national, charitable voluntary-sector organization whose primary concern is to influence the healthy development of children and youth by advocating for quality, school-based physical and health education. PHE Canada's vision is "All Canadian children and youth living physically active and healthy lives" and as such advocates and educates for quality physical and health education programs within supportive school and community environments. For more information, visit www.phecanada.ca.

About AstraZeneca Canada Inc.
AstraZeneca is a leading global pharmaceutical company with an extensive product portfolio spanning six major therapeutic areas: gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, infection, neuroscience, oncology, and respiratory. AstraZeneca's Canadian headquarters are located in Mississauga, Ontario, and its state-of-the-art drug discovery centre is based in Montreal, Quebec. As a company that cares about the health of all Canadians, AstraZeneca Canada Inc. is proud to take an active leadership role in supporting health initiatives including At My Best, Frontline Health and many others. For more information, please visit the company's website at wwww.astrazeneca.ca.

For more information:

About Rogers Media
Louise Leger
416-764-4125
louise.leger@rci.rogers.com

About At My Best
Bunmi Adeoye
416-365-3630, ext. 26
bunmi@nkpr.net

About PHE Canada
Andrea Grantham
613.523.1348, ext. 224
andrea@phecanada.ca

About AstraZeneca Canada Inc.
Sara McClelland
905-615-6837
sara.mcclelland@astrazeneca.com

Toronto board committee votes to recommend removal of pop machines because of aspartame fears

Jun 11, 2009. Noor Javed,Staff Reporter with the Toronto Star, reports that vending machines are one step closer to getting removed from schools.

Toronto District School Board trustees on a committee voted Wednesday afternoon to not extend the current contract with Pepsi Co., slated to expire on Aug. 31, largely because of concerns that the soft-drink company will offer only-aspartame sweetened pop in high schools starting next year.

If the committee recommendation is approved by the full board, vending machines in all schools will be removed by the end of the summer. This would include elementary schools which now only offer machines with water, juice and milk.

The decision passed without much debate at the TDSB office in North York, with members of the administration, finance and accountability committee stating their concerns around selling only aspartame sweetened pop in schools.

Of those concerned were Ward 17 Trustee Michael Coteau who cited a number of studies that looked at the potential long term side-effects of aspartame.

Also concerned was Sheila Cary-Meagher, trustee for Ward 16 who said that students' health should not be compromised at the expense of revenue that comes from selling soft drinks in school. The vending machines were estimated to bring in half a million dollars for the board next year.

Ward 7 Trustee Irene Atkinson voted in favour of the proposal, and reserved comment until the board meeting on June 24.

Staff had put forth a recommendation to extend the current Pepsi Co. contract for another year, to buy time to look for alternate options.

With this recommendation, students will have no place to buy drinks in schools in the coming year, a concern voiced by Catherine Parsonage, senior manager of business development for the TDSB.

Student trustee Gorick Ng said banning vending machines will further limit students' options.

The switch to aspartame is being introduced by Refreshments Canada, an industry-sponsored organization that includes Pepsi and Coca-Cola, as part of the Guidelines for School Partnerships to give students healthier beverage choices.

While aspartame is deemed a safe food additive by Health Canada, trustees and staff say they are uncomfortable with only offering artificially sweetened drinks without knowing the long term impact on health.

Brian Grey of Sun Media reports that all work and no play will make Johnny dull and stupid.

A report released yesterday by Active Healthy Kids Canada said children who are physically active do better in school than their couch-potato classmates.

"We have more and more compelling evidence recently that links physical activity to everything from concentration and to everything including actual grades and test scores," said Michelle Brownrigg, CEO of Active Healthy Kids Canada.

"Often parents and educators will take away physical activity time in an honest effort to increase learning time ... but they don't realize activity time doesn't harm anything, it actually improves learning time."

'Lots of benefits'

Almost nine out of 10 children and youth, 87%, did not get the minimum recommended 90 minutes of physical activity a day last year, the annual report card found. However that is an improvement from 91% two years ago.

The report card also assigned an "F" for screen time, with just 10% of Canadian youth meeting the guideline of spending less than two hours a day in front of computers, video games and TVs.

The direct correlation between physical activity and school performance is no surprise to educators and public health officials.

"We found lots of benefits and one of them was an improvement in the EQAO test scores especially when compared with schools within the same school board who weren't participating in the initiative," said Margaret Good, the provincial healthy schools consultant with the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association.

In Toronto, elementary school students are required to complete at least 20 minutes of activity a day, even on days when they don't have phys-ed courses planned.

For high school students, gym class goes beyond just a chance to play games -- there are now courses on personal fitness and education related to how those games are played, said George Kourtis, the acting program co-ordinator for health and physical education.

"We've found that if students know the rules and understand the benefits they are more likely to have fun," Kourtis said. "And they won't play if they aren't having fun."

Toronto Public Health said it is also encouraging parents to get involved and set a good example for the younger ones.

"We're trying to get parents to understand the importance of their children being physically active," said Anne Birks, the healthy living manager for Toronto Public Health.

GETTING PHYSICAL Tips for jump-starting family physical activity:
- Walk your child to and from school or start a "walking school bus" with neighbours in your community.
- Make physical activity part of the daily routine, like homework, by setting a time for after-school play.
- Make sure your child always brings running shoes to school.
- Remove TVs and computers from your child's bedroom.
- Volunteer to coach or help out with your child's sports team.
- When watching your kids play or take classes don't just sit on the sidelines.
- Suggest the school-parent council include fundraisers such as dance-a-thons or running laps around the school.

The Canadian Press (By Lauren La Rose, June 2) reports that, according to Active Healthy Kids Canada's Report Card on Physical Activity, Canadian kids continue to spend too much time glued to TVs, computers and video games and not enough being physically active, with the vast majority failing to meet recommended guidelines for daily physical activity.
In 2008, 87 per cent of children and youth did not get the recommended minimum of 90 minutes of physical activity a day but that is still an improvement compared to 2006, when 91 per cent of kids weren't reaching the target, according to Mark Tremblay, chief scientific officer with Active Healthy Kids Canada. He says that it is important to recognize that social norms do not change quickly, but there is some evidence that perhaps we are approaching a turning point.
Mr. Tremblay adds that the time between the end of school and before dinner for most families is an opportunity where communities, schools, and program groups can engage kids primarily in the outdoors doing physical activity instead of rushing home to sit in front of a screen.

According to a recent Canadian study whose results will be published in the July edition of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, by the time adolescents reach ninth grade, most abandon the physical activities they enjoyed in seventh grade; and the more vigorous the activity, the more likely they are to drop it.

Secondary school students in Montreal reported their participation in 29 physical activities over five years. Although participation in team-based activities started high at 94 percent in seventh grade, 50 percent of girls and 31 percent of boys had dropped out by the end of high school. Conversely, only 10 percent of adolescents abandoned their individual activities during the same period.

According to Mathieu Belanger, the lead study and research director at the New Brunswick Medical Training Centre, a large majority of adolescents in Canada do not achieve the recommended 90 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day. Since habits formed during adolescence tend to continue into adulthood, he is concerned that this inactivity could lead to substantial health concerns, such as diabetes and obesity, later in life.

Belanger’s numbers also reflect a return to certain activities or an interest in new ones. The most popular activities in seventh grade — such as walking, running and physical conditioning — had the highest levels of reuptake five years later (around 50 percent). In fact, walking was the only activity that girls continued to participate in at the same level over time.

Belanger said that the results provide insight on the most effective time to introduce programs aimed at encouraging healthy activity levels. For most activities, the best time seems to be early adolescence, although schools should not ignore older age groups, even though fewer of these individuals continue to be active.

This knowledge will help school boards and public health authorities plan sports programs that remain high on this age-group’s to-do list, when interest traditionally wanes.

An eight-year study examining whether physical attributes of a community contribute to physical activity, have been published in the April 2009 volume of Social Science and Medicine. Researcher Jim Sallis, funded by the National Institutes of Health, evaluated 32 communities in the Seattle WA and Baltimore MD regions and found those who lived in walkable neighborhoods got substantially more exercise each week than those living in low-walkable areas. Residents of walkable communities were also less likely to be overweight or obese.
Reported on Baltimorespokes.org, May 15, 2009.

Hamilton school proves it is possible to dramatically improve fitness levels with the use of heart rate monitors 
LACHINE, QC, May 19 /CNW/ - Imagine if kids weren't concerned about getting out of gym class, but instead with what they can get out of gym class?
With increasing inactivity among Canadian children being one of the leading causes of childhood obesity(*), it is more important than ever to inspire kids to get moving. But how do you motivate kids to get off the couch? As one extraordinary phys-ed teacher and his class demonstrated, it is all a matter of heart.
Former CFL player Mark Verbeek, a teacher at Gatestone Elementary in Hamilton, Ontario, has implemented a phys-ed program that has resulted in better participation from students, higher attendance rates and increased participation in extra-curricular sports.
His program focuses on motivating students to be more active by having them understand their body and their potential, particularly by monitoring their heart rate. "The use of heart rate monitors levels the playing field for students because they are evaluated on their individual performance, not on how they rank in the class," says Mark Verbeek, fitness and wellness teacher/coordinator, Gatestone Elementary School.
 "Heart rate monitors motivate my students to perform to the best of their ability and keep them focused on achievement." Verbeek found that this new program eliminated one of the biggest barriers to gym class participation - the feeling that physically-average or below-average students cannot do well compared to naturally-gifted athletes.
Creating a program that focuses on individual performance has shown every student that they do have potential, that they can improve and that they can set and achieve fitness goals. "The results have been overwhelming," says Verbeek. "I highly encourage every Canadian school to adopt this system if they truly care about the health and well-being of their students." Heart rate monitors help Verbeek to determine a student's fitness level and then set achievable performance goals designed to motivate students to participate in school activity.
A heart rate monitor is a receiver, worn like a wristwatch that gathers signals sent wirelessly from a comfortable transmitter strap worn around the chest. Heart rate is the most accurate measurement of a person's intensity or exertion level. Each person has a different heart rate zone to exercise in for maximum effect, depending on such factors as age, gender and lifestyle. Working with the Hamilton Wentworth School Board, staff, parents and the surrounding community, Verbeek designed a program to engage, motivate and encourage an active healthy lifestyle among his students. Verbeek's program stresses the importance of physical fitness on overall education and challenges students to be healthier by incorporating the technology of Polar heart rate monitors and fitness assessment tools in phys-ed class.
"The program works for three reasons," explains Verbeek. "First, it places value on individual physical performance, second, it tracks students' physical progress and third, the program involves the students, staff, parents and community - a truly comprehensive approach designed to build and sustain good habits, not only for the participating students but for all of those involved.
According to the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, three out of five Canadian children and youth (aged 5-17) are not active enough for optimal growth and development, and more than 80% of students are spending less than an hour a day on physical activity in school.(xx)
"Polar is helping Canadian phys-ed teachers address the serious problem of children's inactivity by providing a tool for measuring exertion levels," says Brigitte Boucher-Sills, Marketing Director, Polar Electro Canada. "Mark Verbeek has done an amazing job at Gatestone and this program is now being expanded to other Hamilton-Wentworth schools. At Polar we have the resources and know-how available to implement this program in other school systems across Canada. We encourage phys-ed teachers and school boards to contact us to discuss how they can help improve the physical fitness of their students."
The Polar technology offering includes a "TriFIT" Health Assessment which allows teachers to perform complete health and fitness assessments on individual and groups of students. As well, teachers have access to the "PE Manager" software which is a comprehensive data collection and grading tool designed specifically for PE. 
(*) International Journal of Obesity: http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v27/n9/full/0802376a.html
 (xx) Canada's Physical Activity Guide: Family Guide to Physical Activity for Children Public Health Agency of Canada http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/paguide/child_youth/index.html
For further information: Jennifer Meneses, Carolyn Abbass, Paradigm Public Relations, (416) 203-2223, jmeneses@paradigmpr.ca

The Green Apple School Program is a specially designed grant program that engages young people in Ontario and Quebec to consider a healthier environment and make healthier living conscious choices - rewarding them for their efforts to make a positive impact.

When will this program launch? 
The Green Apple School Program is effective June 1, 2009 - Applications will be accepted starting in September and winning projects could be announced as early as the end of September

Who can participate in this program?
All elementary and secondary schools from School Boards in Ontario and Quebec.

How does the program work?
 Applicants will be asked to describe the proposed project and provide Metro with detailed examples on how the venture will contribute to healthier living in their school and community
Initiatives can fall under the following categories:
- Community Clean up (park, street, beach)
- Tree plantings
- Energy conservation
- Beautification projects
- Community gardens
- 'Eco friendly' purchasing
- Waste reduction
- Community education
- Transportation

How will grants be selected? 
Healthier environmentally-conscious and action-oriented schools in Ontario and Quebec will have the opportunity to access $2 million worth of grants ($1 million per province) 

For further information: Selena Fiacco, Director, Communications, Metro Ontario Inc., (416) 234-6081, selena.fiacco@metro.ca

TORONTO, May 7 /CNW/ - Improving the health of children in low-income families, which is chronically worse than that of richer children, requires well-targeted policy reforms, according to a study released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. 

In Good Health to All: Reducing Health Inequalities among Children in High- and Low-Income Canadian Families, C.D. Howe Research Fellow Claire de Oliveira identifies the policies that would, for families across different income groups, best address inequality in the health of children. 

Dr. de Oliveira finds that the health and education of parents play a more significant role in determining children's health status than household income. Moreover, since large transfers of income to relatively poor households would be needed to have a substantial impact on children's health outcomes, such income-related policies should be de-emphasized in favour of in-kind transfers of goods and services from the provinces. 

Specific recommendations include: 

• implementing policies that improve and promote the health of parents and the awareness of healthy lifestyles;
  
• evaluating the implementation of in-kind transfers - healthy breakfasts and lunches, for example through the school system; and, 
• making children, rather than their parents - where possible - the direct recipients of in-kind transfers.

The benefits of improving children's health, she notes, are long-lasting for the children - and for Canada's economy. For the study click here. http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/commentary_288.pdf 

For further information: Claire de Oliveira, C.D. Howe Research Fellow, (416) 865-1904

Devon McGregor, of the National Post reports that Childhood obesity is at an all-time high in North America. Researchers believe that an early start on physical activity is the only way to keep kids fit and healthy as they reach adulthood. The state of health for kids is becoming troublesome for both health experts and economists. Since the 1970s, the percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight has nearly tripled.

Today, one in five children is overweight, 15% of children and adolescents aged six to nine are seriously overweight and more than 10% of preschool children between ages two and five are in the same category. The increase in obesity levels has led some experts to call the issue a pandemic.

Encouraging children to work out and play sports will put them on a path of understanding that training can be for much more than vanity. Studies routinely prove that kids who involve themselves in fitness activities early in life continue to stay active throughout adulthood. Until recently, health and fitness experts have disagreed on the appropriateness of weight and resistance training for children. Based exclusively on anecdote and speculation, some argued that children who began a weight training program prior to or during adolescence would cause damage to their growth plate (epiphyseal plate), stunting their growth.

To read more please click here to access the full text of the National Post article.

Don Fennell of the Richmond Review (B.C.) reports that sports play an important role in the culture of most high schools. But it’s more than simply about winning and losing.

Linda McPhail of the Richmond District School Board believes that sports are integral to the overall education picture. Not every student is an athlete, but every student has the opportunity to participate whether as a score keeper or a fan coming to the game or tournament. Sports build community spirit within a school.

McPhail said teachers play are particularly important role in promoting healthy lifestyles, and often themselves serve as role models. She said Richmond is fortunate to have so many teacher coaches and volunteers from the community share their passions with the children.

Increasingly, McPhail said, school is where students get their information about physical fitness. And if schools can help instill healthy habits in those kids society will benefit as a whole.

McPhail said the Richmond School District also recognizes the importance of sports not only for its physical benefits, but also for its mental attributes. She said students not only learn how to play a game but also a variety of life lessons including teamwork, fairness and empathy.

She noted that for some students sports is the motivation they need to attend school. If it wasn’t for that or a connection with a teacher-coach they might not be in school, she said.

The London Free Press (April27,  KELLY PEDRO) reports that local organizers of this year's Turn Off the Screens Week, which runs this week, have decided that asking young people to turn everything off for a week is unrealistic. Instead, they are asking that kids pause their screens (TV, video games and computers - except for homework) and go outside to play, making time for 90 minutes of physical activity daily.
Benefits of physical activity include: optimal growth and development and social benefits for families and friends.

Heart and Stroke Foundation grant helps YMCA to build healthier kids
Reported in Vaughan Today, April 22, By Brian Baker 

If you play with kids you get them active for a day but if you teach community leaders proper physical fitness you can get kids active for a lifetime. The YMCA and the Heart and Stroke Foundation will take this approach to helping 13 low-income neighbourhoods in Toronto address physical activity needs for youth from 5–12.

Funding is supplied by a $94,000 grant from the Heart and Stroke foundation to boost the YMCA programs already in place, including Youth Fit For Life, part of Get Active Toronto. The Foundation considers this approach a preventive measure for obesity related diseases.

A priority is for after-school environments to provide physical activity programs by training staff. Frequently, the people running camps and programs in priority neighbourhoods are tenants in Toronto Community Housing and do not have the appropriate training to provide these types of programs.

A major focus for the Youth Fit for Life program is building self-esteem instead of concentrating on  skill development.

Toronto task force aims to stop students buying junk food meals

The Toronto Star (April 9, 2009) Toronto middle schools and junior highs should make kids stay on school property at lunch to prevent them from wandering over to a mall or hot dog vendor and buying junk food, a task force recommends.

But to do that, school cafeterias need a makeover - they must be brighter, more appealing and offer better food choices, says the report from the Toronto District School Board's nutrition task force.Trustee Michael Coteau says it will be controversial to keep 11 to 14 year-olds at school, but says it's worth it because nutrition has been proven to be key to their health, behaviour and school success.

"I think if we had more vibrant, youth-friendly places to eat, with background music and programs that could be running, it would make it more interactive and more fun," said Coteau, the task force chair, adding more nutrition education in the classroom is also needed.

The move wouldn't prevent the kids - in Grades 6 to 9 - from going home, but if they stay at school, they'd need written parental permission to leave property. Students, however, are not convinced. Bowen Pausey, who is in Grade 8 at Glen Ames Senior Public School in the Beach, brings his lunch most days. On Fridays, he heads to Queen St. E. for pizza, subs or Tim Hortons. It is a weekly ritual that gives him time with friends and a break from the school."I wouldn't like that at all," the 13-year-old said of having to remain on site for lunch. He's no fan of cafeteria food - "the salads don't look too pleasing, the fries are always cold" - but said if it improved, and the prices dropped, he'd consider eating there.George Wilson, 12, leaves Deer Park Public School two noon-hours every week to play basketball and eat pizza. He likes the freedom to walk over to nearby Yonge St. or St. Clair Ave. for fast food.

"If we had to stay at school every day it would get pretty boring," added Emily Mooy, who leaves Hodgson Senior Public School, near Mount Pleasant and Eglinton, and goes to Tim Hortons every Friday for a toasted bagel.

For two years, the task force, comprising parents, trustees and nutrition experts, has looked at ways to improve student nutrition and, given the current economic meltdown, more families will rely on snack and lunch programs, it notes.

The report, which is yet to be approved by the board, comes on the heels of the Ontario Medical Association's request for provincial legislation forcing restaurants and school cafeterias to post calorie counts on menus.The Toronto District School Board runs nutrition programs for 78,000 students at a cost of more than $10 million from provincial and municipal funding, parent contributions and local donations.The report notes that Canada is the only Western nation not to have a national, federally funded nutrition program for children and asks Toronto trustees to lobby government to change that.

Research has shown nutrition affects everything from aggression to attendance to academic success; hungry teens are more likely to have lower math scores and repeat a grade and students with high-calorie diets can be aggressive and irritable because of sugar intake. According to a Toronto survey, some 41 per cent of the city's high school students don't have breakfast and 21 per cent don't eat lunch. Of those who do have lunch, 54 per cent buy their meal in the school cafeteria, with half of those buying one meal a week, the report notes. About 20 per cent leave school property at lunch to buy "cheap, unhealthy food." Some complained the school food is too expensive and feel the space is unclean.Staying at school for lunch wouldn't change much for the 1,175 students at Toronto's Valley Park Middle School, near Don Mills Rd. and the Don Valley Parkway, which requires all students, whether in Grade 6, 7 or 8, to stay for safety reasons unless their parents write to say they can leave, said vice-principal Amajit Parmar.

"I buy the spicy chicken patty every day for $1.40. It's good," said Grade 8 student Razia Popal, 14, while friend Manigha Satari waited for the next batch of fries. "I mostly buy poutines," she confessed. Coteau said rather than banning fries - which students told the task force they were dead-set against - cafeterias could instead offer "fries-free" days once or twice a week.Catherine Parsonage, the board's senior manager of nutrition services, said schools that have banned unhealthy foods see cafeteria revenue drop by about 30 per cent. Toronto board cafeterias are either operated by outside, for-profit companies or by the board itself on a non-profit basis. All are required to offer a healthy food lunch option each day for $4.

The CBC News (April 14, 2009) writes on Australian research which shows poor urban design and safety fears are critical factors in determining whether children walk or cycle to school. The researchers say their findings can help inform public policy that will increase children travelling to school by foot or bicycle.

Dr. Clare Hume, from the Deakin University's Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, and colleagues report the proportion of Australian school children walking to school dropped from 37 per cent in 1985 to 26 per cent in 2001. At the same time, the proportion of children cycling to school is now so low it is statistically too insignificant to be considered on its own.  The decrease in what is known as active commuting has occurred at the same time as obesity rates among children have increased. As a result, programs that aim to increase active commuting throughout childhood and in adolescence may have a positive effect on children's accumulated physical activity.

Hume and colleagues took a closer look at the factors that affect the amount of active transport among children and adolescents. They tracked children and adolescents' mode of travel to school between 2004 and 2006. During that period active commuting among the younger cohort, who were aged nine at the start of the study, increased significantly by 1.04 trips per week. For the older adolescents (aged 14 at the start of the study) the increase was smaller with an additional in 0.65 trips per week. Hume says there was no gender difference in the rates of walking to school.

For the younger cohort, Hume says the study highlighted one factor as critical to whether the children actively commuted. Children of parents who reported that the child had many friends in their area were twice as likely as to increase their active commuting compared with other children [in terms of mean trips per week. For adolescents, whether they walked or cycled to school was related to urban design issues such as the presence of pedestrian crossings and traffic lights.

Canada.com (April 4, 2009 By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen) writes that the hibernating habits of Canadian teenagers is becoming a health hazard, scientists say. They're going indoors in winter, and not coming out again until spring returns.

Winter is the time when teenagers become permanently less active, says the study of Montreal high school students. In summer, they're running around outdoors. But they slow down in winter and, crucially, they don't return to their previous level of activity when the warm weather returns.

Over a series of years, winters gradually reduce teens' level of physical activity, the study says. The study by the Université de Montreal, McGill University and the Centre de Formation medical du Nouveau-Brunswick examined some 1,200 students in Grades 7-11 in Montreal.

The pattern was the same in boys and girls, and in students across the city — rich, poor, anglophone, francophone. Participation in organized physical activity dropped at an average rate of 16.3 per cent per year.