A trial project to help primary school kids get active, control their weight and eat a healthy diet is being rolled out in Reading. The project "Let's Get Going" is for 7 to 12 year old children. It has run at Geoffrey Field school, at Whiltley Junior School and currently at Katesgrove Primary School. The project is run by NHS Berkshire Public Health with Berkshire Youth. It runs as an after-school club with 45 minutes of physical activity and 45 minutes of theory. Parents join in for the last 30 minutes of each session.
The course works towards the following goals:
- Relatively equal gender split
- 40 to 50% improving their weight and waist circumference
- 50 to 60% improving their BMI
- 50 to 60% improvement on cardiovascular fitness (step test)
- 50 to 60% improvement in activity (active play/ sports/ reduction in sedentary behaviours)
- 30 to 40% improvement in nutritional status (fruit and vegetables/ increase in wholemeal/ reduction in fizzy drinks, sweets and chocolate)
How will this programme be taken forward after the re-organisation of the Health Service. The public health function will go to Reading Borough Council under the Health and Well-Being Board. There is evidently a big opportunity to roll out this programme to many more primary schools. Let's hope that the ball isn't dropped during the re-organisation!