Editorial: Obesity fight offers some real hope

A Waikato programme which has resulted in thousands of fitter, healthier children is nothing short of inspirational.
Let's hope the powers-that-be take note and look to Project Energize, as it was dubbed, as the starting point for developing a nationwide programme.
The Waikato project began in 2005, forming partnerships with Maori and Pacific health providers and universities, reaching 44,000 primary and intermediate schoolchildren. Experts advised teachers and parents on physical activity and nutrition and helped introduce fitness programmes.
Evaluations found obesity rates among children involved were 3 per cent less than the national average and a running test showed them to be 13 per cent faster than children elsewhere. More than 75 per cent of families who participated in a survey said their children's fitness and nutrition had improved.
The programme appears to have had a significant impact and as one health expert has pointed out, should have significant future benefits. These children will soon enough be parents themselves and their change in attitude to health and fitness will be passed on to their children - and so will begin some real change.
Such changes will not only impact on the personal fitness and health of possibly generations of Kiwis but also on the government purse through a reduction in health care costs. On the face of it, this programme seems to have some real potential to help us create a healthier, fitter nation.