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'l e average child only " I gets about 30 minutes g of physical a'ctivity a g week. says Region of Water- . 100?ch Health. a That might explain why E one in five local children a aged l2 to 17 is overweight A or obese. And the fallout of that inactivity is alarming with children facing the early onset of illnesses like Type 2 diabetes. heart disease, stroke, hypertension and even some forms of cancer. -""""""""-tr-t-- Public health department launches campaign to tackle oh It BYMBVFWE' The numbers aretit any efit),t'ortheir)iutr.ar, se,...." ..‘,.,, I . Chronicle Stqlr And it's targeting parents as well as children with the hope that parents start modelling behaviours that will lead to a lifetime of ben- That's why local public health officials have launched a campaign to tackle the obesity epidemic which hopes to get children active as much as 30 min- utes a day instead of just a half-an-hour a week The numbers aren't any better for their parents, with recent statistics showing that over half of Waterloo region's residents were either overweight or obese. "This is to really educate people about the behaviour- al aspect of this issue," said Garbarz. "Kids copy what they see, especially from their parents." Parents can take steps everyday to ensure their kids develop healthy eating and activity habits that will last a lifetime. The campaign, called Eat Healthy, Live Active, has one simple message said Melanie Cuban. a public health planner who is co- animating the campaign. efits for their children Research has shown that families that eat together also eat more nutritious meals and have fewer of these obesity issues. Cou- pled with physical activity. it's a prescription for life- long health. But there are simple recipes that a family can put together, which are both quick and nutritious, that can avoid the fastfood option, stands that we live in a Cul- ture of convenience where people take the easy way when it comes to food and nutrition because they com- plain about their busy lives. "The hope is that we get children specifically to do 30 minutes more of activity outside, and 30 minutes less of other activities like using the computer," said Gar bare. "This campaign is about prevention, targeting children through their par- ems The PALS program does demonstrations of physical activity-related games, and hopes children take the inspiration into their every- day livers Leaders in Schools "The community work- shops will provide parents with skills to help their chil- dren maintain healthy weights," said Garbarz. "This is about what they can do in their own families." A schedule oi those events will be available on the campaign website at www‘healthywaterloore- gion.ca. That comprehen- sive website also provides other physical and nutrition tips along with simple recipes and healthy body information. series of six community workshops in the new year which will provide hands-on cooking classes with demonstrations of simple family-oriented physical activities.