$2.3m pledged to obesity trial

A multimillion-dollar attack on child obesity will involve thousands of children and could result in free milk returning to Waikato schools.

The Waikato District Health Board has committed $2.3 million to Activ8, a two-year physical activity programme, aiming to get about a quarter of Waikato primary school children off the couch and into healthy eating.

Children in 65 schools will be selected for the programme. They will be compared with children in 65 other schools, which will carry on as normal.

The programme might mean a return to the days of free milk for schools in poorer areas. The board is in talks with companies about sponsoring the programme to provide milk and fruit. It is interested to hear any offers.

Researchers will weigh the children and measure their health when the study starts in August and as it progresses.

After two years, they will check whether the programme had any effects on weight gain, fitness, oral health, asthma, bone fractures and hypertension.

The board will then decide whether to extend the programme across Waikato.

A national Health Ministry study, published last year, found almost one in three children aged 5 to 14 were overweight or obese.

Community paediatrician Dr Dave Graham said that survey, with overseas studies, established that obesity was linked to ethnicity, poverty and rural isolation.

The Activ8 programme would be more useful to develop policy because it would provide reliable Waikato statistics for the first time.

He said one of the aims was to reduce the difference in health between social and ethnic groups.

"The first thing we will know from the survey part of the programme is whether there are any differences.

"We expect to be able to show that and ... down the track, we can demonstrate that the programme has a greater benefit where there is greater need."

Dr Graham said the programme would not be an extra strain on schools. Schools would get the full range of resources needed.

The board began approaching schools yesterday and was confident it would get enough schools involved.

Dr Graham said activity and good eating habits in childhood could save people's lives as they got older.


- NZPA