Our children may not live as long as us

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News

Our children may not live as long as us

Fri Mar 21, 2008

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It is a sobering thought; we might live longer than our children.

According to the World Health Organization, we are the first generation whose children's life expectancy may not be as long as their parents if present trends continue. These trends have put childhood obesity in Canada at record highs with the number tripling over the past 25 years. Now one in four Canadian children is overweight or obese.

"One only needs to pick up the paper, watch the news or read a magazine article to see how concerned Canadian experts are about childhood obesity and related preventable chronic diseases," says Linda Millar, Educational Consultant with Concerned Children's Advertisers. "The rising prevalence of obesity among children and youth has been largely attributed to poor eating habits and inactivity."

So what is behind these poor eating habits and inactivity? Kids eating "empty calories" while surfing the Internet or watching TV for hours? Families spending more time playing computer games than shooting hoops? Food being available 24/7?

"Unfortunately there is no silver bullet, no single answer," says Diana Carradine, Executive Director of Concerned Children's Advertisers (CCA). "Obesity is a highly complex issue and no one sector is solely responsible. This is a problem that affects our society as a whole and we all have a role to play in contributing to a solution - industry, schools, communities, parents and even kids themselves.

For as much as the numbers are scary, and the thought of our kids dying at a younger age than we do being even scarier, there is hope. CCA recently launched a new social marketing campaign called "Long Live Kids" aimed at kids, teachers, their parents and community organizations. The program encourages kids to add an extra 30 minutes of exercise to their day, to choose a variety of foods and most of all, strike a balance between the two. "Energy in, energy out" is the basic tenet behind the program.

How are kids going to get the message? Through TV and web-based public service announcements, a school-based curriculum, tips and tools for parents and the buy-in of several Canadian advertisers who have pledged to make their ads more health-focused.

More information on the new CCA campaign is available at www.cca-kids.ca.

- News Canada