~ “More than ever, we as parents and a nation must do something about the growth of obesity in our children. We must do more than just talk, we must be concerned enough to act.” ~ Lee Haney.
More and more children are entering the early childhood setting and I am asking myself “how are New Zealand’s early childhood settings helping fight obesity in our young children?”
Research shows that obesity is linked to food and beverage intake and physical activity, 75% of the food we eat is used to power our bodies which keeps our liver, heart, lungs and brain working properly (Finn, 2004). As times have changed and more and more people are entering the work setting it seems easier to give their children packet foods instead of fresh fruit and the same may be said for dinner times. Have you ever heard of “five plus a day”? The aim was to encourage the people of New Zealand to eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables each day, however Finn (2004) states that only 46% of children in New Zealand eat 2 or more servings of fruit and a third eat three or more servings of vegetables.
Many early childhood settings have procedures or policies in place to help teachers promote healthy eating.
Procedures include:
-Encouraging children to make connections between healthy eating and having a healthy body bodies.
-Providing information surrounding healthy eating for parents/whanau.
-Child’s choice of fruit.
-Healthy food preparation experiences.
Having a nutrition policy allows teachers to follow guidelines which benefit the children within the early childhood setting. However as the child’s parent or caregiver are the ones packing the child’s lunch it is important to provide information surrounding healthy eating, as a reality is some families do not know about healthy eating. Parents may have access too:
-Ngākai tōtika mō te hunga kōhungahunga. Eating for healthy babies and toddlers
-Finger food ideas for 9 months plus
-Finger food for 12 months plus
-Guide to baby feeding.
-Vegetables for your baby
-Lunch box ideas.
Having information with your centre may help parents/caregivers to pack healthy lunches for their child and gain the knowledge that good nutrition leads to healthy bodies (Stanton & Hills, 2004). Resources are also available for SPARC which has information surrounding active movement for children under the age of five years. SPARC will also come into early childhood centres and hold “parent evenings” which help explain the benefits of active movement to parents and whanau and provide resources to build a healthier lifestyle.
I believe that all early childhood centres should be promoting healthy eating and
physical exercise which will help fight obesity in the young children of New Zealand.
Within Te Whaariki there is no mention of the word obesity, however there are goals within the Well-being strand which states:
" Children will experience a place where their health is promoted"
"Increasing understanding of their bodies and how they function"
"Knowledge about how to keep themselves healthy;"
"Self-help and self-care skills for eating, drinking, food prepartion, toileting, resting, sleeping, washing, and dressing;"
"Positive attitudes towards eating, sleeping, and resting"
(Ministry of Education, 1996, p.48).
Reference List:
Finn, L. (2004). Healthy Kids. Better health for larger kids in New Zealand. Happy kids. Auckland, New Zealand: Random House New Zealand.
Stanton, R., & Hills, A. (2004). A matter of fat. Understanding and overcoming obesity in kisds. Christchurch, New Zealand: Hazard Press.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aoteraroa/Early Childhood Curriculum.Wellington: New Zealand Learning Media.
Sport and Recreation New Zealand. (2011). Ages 0-5. Retieved April 1, 2011, from http://www.sparc.co.nz/en-nz/young-people/Ages-0-5-Years/
5+ a day. (2011). What is 5+ a day?. Retieved, April 1, 2011, from http://www.5aday.co.nz/5aday.html
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