Fighting fat in children | University of Saskatchewan program includes education, fitness and optional followup
A new initiative from the University of Saskatchewan aims to curb the trend of childhood obesity across the province.
Within Canada, research shows approximately a quarter of youth under 17 years old are overweight or obese. In Saskatchewan, that number rises to 29 percent.
Beginning in September, U of S students and officials from a variety of faculties will start to unroll Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do It, (MEND), a community-driven program of nutrition, education and physical fitness geared toward families.
“I think we just have some unfortunate situations where the opportunities aren’t available,” said Carol Rodgers, dean at the university’s college of kinesiology.
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“The intent, of course, is to go provincewide and really be able to get to some of the more rural communities, some of the more northern communities, to provide them with the opportunity to have this kind of exposure.”
The three-year program will begin in Saskatoon this year, where youths — along with a parent, guardian or sibling — will enter into a 10-week program, requiring twice-weekly sessions about nutrition and exercise. An optional followup program will continue to monitor participants’ progress online for several more months.
Participants who finish the program can further their training and eventually lead and instruct future sessions.
In subsequent years, the program will move north to Prince Albert and surrounding communities and throughout southern Saskatchewan.
“Certainly MEND works around focusing on healthy physical activity and things that families can do together with, in essence, limited resources,” said Rodgers. “And I don’t mean that financially, even. It’s also just access to fancy golf courses with golf clubs, as an example, where it may be often a situation that does create divide. MEND isn’t focused on those kind of things.”
It’s the first time the program has been brought to Saskatchewan, but it’s previously been employed elsewhere in the country, as well as the United Kingdom and Australia.
Rodgers said it comes with a proven track record of having a lasting effect on its participants.
Information collected during the program will add to a growing database from other jurisdictions, as well as contribute to other potential projects examining child growth, bone density and exercise adherence, said Rodgers.
“One of the interests that many of us have discussed is whether or not there are any differences between urban communities, rural communities, northern communities, and what impact things like resource availability do have,” said Rodgers, “And do you actually see the change in obesity rates in those different communities and what might be some of the causes around that.”
The initiative will be funded with $1 million from Saskatchewan Blue Cross.
