Football Clubs provide incentive to get kids moving and eating healthy diets

Today a symposium held at the EuroPRevent 2011 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, reviewed some of the best examples of using football as a platform to encourage children to eat healthy diets and take regular exercise. The symposium “Professional Sports to Promote Children’s Health” heard about the differences that three different Corporate Social Responsibility Programmes across Europe have been making to the health of the next generation. “For cardiovascular prevention it’s really important to get children moving and eating well from an early age,” said Erik Meijboom, professor of Congenital Cardiology at the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland. “Once they start liking exercise it becomes a routine part of daily activities which should remain with them for life.” “The platform of football offers a tremendously effective population tool for getting kids active because it touches all levels of society,” said Patrick Gasser, senior manager for Football and Social Responsibility at the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Childhood obesity represents the most common childhood health disorder in Europe, with 22 million European children (one in five) estimated to be overweight and obese, and the number calculated to be rising by 400,000 each year. Overweight children are estimated to be three to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or a stroke before they reach the age of 65. “The over presence of calories, the easy availability of fast food and the absence of physical activity are all combining to put children at risk of developing early cardiovascular disease,” said Meijboom.

Studies suggest that the emergence of atherosclerotic disease can occur early in life, with children displaying fatty streaks in their arteries, which can progress into plaque and narrowing of the arteries. The factor which most deters parents from encouraging their children to exercise, said Meijboom, is the adverse publicity around sudden cardiac death (SCD). While it is accepted that exercise and intense physical activity through athletic participation increase the likelihood of SCD, these risks have been vastly over estimated. Indeed a study undertaken by Meijboom for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2006, which reviewed 1101 cases of SCD that had occurred in athletes under 35 years between 1966 and 2004, found that 50% had congenital anatomical heart disease and cardiomyopathies and that 10% had early onset atherosclerotic heart disease.¹ “It’s evident that premature atherosclerotic disease is an important cause of sudden death in this age group and that children are much more likely to suffer from it if they’re obese and don’t take regular exercise,” said Meijboom.

--Something to Chew on Programme Andy Smith, from the Manchester United Foundation, presented the “Something to Chew on Programme” which aims to get eight year olds in the Manchester area leading healthier life styles. The project, which was started in September 2008, involves a six week programme of sessions, with topics including diet and health, food safety, consumer awareness, food preparation, being active and football fitness and body movement control. In the programme (which was devised by a teacher, nutritionist and football coach) children undertake practical sessions, like making a sandwich, where they are encouraged to try all sorts of different foods that they might not normally come across, such as avocado, salmon, and peppers. Lessons are all delivered by coaches wearing the Manchester United kit. The project, which was developed in partnership with the Food’s Standards Agency (FSA) and Salford City Council, targeted 51 primary schools across Salford, Trafford and the wider Manchester area. “What we’re trying to do is use the brand of football as an engagement tool to pass on health messages to young people with the ultimate message that you need to have a good life style to be able to perform at the highest level,” explained Smith, an executive manager with Manchester United Foundation. “If these messages have the backing of the Manchester United brand they’re instantly perceived as worthwhile by children.” Evaluation of the programme showed that it has had a significant impact on the children’s behaviour, with results showing after participation children were twice as likely to have had breakfast as they were beforehand, that 27% felt more positive about eating fruit and vegetables, that agility and balance was improved, and that children reported a positive impact on their self-confidence. “What hit me most was that results showed the programme wasn’t only reaching the children, but also their families, with 28% of behaviour in the home changing for the better,” said Smith.

**ESC