A weight management programme which has been running in Swansea has been successful in helping youngsters maintain a healthy lifestyle.
An independent study by University College London Institute of Child Health (ICH) has indicated that the MEND programme (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do It!) can benefit children over a healthy weight.
The course focuses on encouraging children and their families to lead a healthier lifestyle whilst having fun and is open to youngsters between the ages of seven and 13 years old and their parents.
So far there have been three MEND courses running in Swansea which include activities such as games and sport along with nutritional tips for youngsters and their parents such as portion size and healthy recipes.
The next programme will take place at Bishop Gore Comprehensive after the Easter holidays.
The ICH study which was published in the journal Obesity is the first randomised controlled trial in the UK to investigate the benefits of a community-based child weight management programme.
Over 100 children aged between eight and 12 took part in the study. It nvolved attending a nine-week MEND programme followed by the provision of 12 weeks of free family swimming between January 2005 and January 2007.
Participants in the study lost weight, lowered their BMI and waist circumference and improved their self-esteem and physical activity levels.
Their general health, including cardiovascular fitness, also improved.
Professor Atul Singhal, Paediatrician and Head of Clinical Trials in the Childhood Nutrition Research Centre at ICH, said: “These results suggest that the MEND programme helps overweight and obese children lose weight. They also show that child weight management programmes have a positive effect on a child’s health and so could help to address the rising obesity problem in children.”
The MEND Programme is a free 10-week, after-school weight management course where overweight and obese children and their families learn how to eat healthily and enjoy physical activity. Fifteen thousand families have benefited from the MEND Programme since it was established in 2004 with 350 MEND programmes delivered across the UK per term.
Paul Whapham, Senior Physical Activity Development Officer at Swansea Council, said: “This new study provides solid evidence that the MEND Programme helps children lose weight and keep it off. It also helps improve their self-esteem.
“These research findings prove that teaching children how to keep fit and eat healthily like we do on the MEND Programme does work if done in the right way.
“MEND is currently running a programme in Swansea and we aim to run three more throughout the year with the next program starting in April to ensure more children in the area can benefit.”
By the final year of primary school nearly one in three children aged 10 or 11 is overweight, according to the latest data from the Government’s National Child Measurement Programme in schools.
For more information or to register for the MEND Programme call Paul Whapham on 01792 635219, contact freephone 0800 230 0263 or visit www.mendcentral.org
