Life Education launches healthy eating blitz to tackle rising childhood obesity in Blacktown

MORE than half the primary schools in the Blacktown area are not part of a national healthy- eating program despite the rising level of childhood obesity in western Sydney.

Tersha Rich with Happy Healthy Harrold and Shelley Public School students Nathan, Hayden, Tahira and Kaitlyn. Picture: David Swift.

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MORE than half the primary schools in the Blacktown area are not part of a national healthy- eating program despite the rising level of childhood obesity in western Sydney.

Children’s charity Life Education has launched a strategy to tackle childhood obesity in primary schools across NSW.

The organisation, which provides lessons on healthy eating and exercising, visited schools including Shelley Public in Blacktown and Seven Hills North Public last week.

Life Education NSW development manager Lisa Woodward said the program was targeting western Sydney this year because research showed the region had a higher rate of childhood obesity than the rest of the state.

“In NSW one in five children is obese or overweight but in western Sydney it is one in three,” she said. “So we want to reach all of those kids in that area.

“We want to teach the kids to grow up, not just grow out.”

Despite the growing problem of childhood obesity in western Sydney, Ms Woodward said 60 per cent of schools in the Blacktown local government area did not receive visits from the Life Education van.

“Healthy Harold (the mascot behind Life Education) visits 40 per cent of the primary schools in the Blacktown local government area and sees 12,000 students,” she said.

“There are 17,000 we don’t see — we would like to share our health and safety program with many more students and schools.

“By comparison, Healthy Harold visits 80 to 90 per cent of schools in other Sydney metropolitan areas.”

Life Education visits cost about $20 per child, with half of that paid by the State Government and fundraising from the organisation.

Ms Woodward said the cost to families could be a barrier.

“Unfortunately, in some western Sydney schools, there are some parents battling with finances and not every kid comes to the program because parents can’t afford it.”

Shelley Public School principal Jo-ann Campion said the Life Education programs complemented the lessons planned by teachers.

“Our PDHPE syllabus strives to develop students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes so that they can lead healthy, active and fulfilling lives,” she said. “The Life Education modules assist us to develop these skills — and they support the messages we are teaching.”

Details: lifeeducation.org.au