CHILD OBESITY IS ON THE RISE, BUT HOW CAN OUR TOKYO 2020 CHAMPIONS HELP?
CHILD OBESITY IS ON THE RISE, BUT HOW CAN OUR TOKYO 2020 CHAMPIONS HELP?
During the pandemic, we at the Mintridge Foundation have worked hard to encourage and motivate young people to stay active, even when they are not at school, by inspiring them with our inspirational team of Olympians, Paralympians and elite sport stars. We recognise that the health and well-being of young people is vital to help them live an active and balanced life and we know the part that physical activity can play in increasing levels of confidence, self-esteem, social skills and all-round physical health. Therefore, we have put together the reasons why our bespoke Mintridge Programmes are integral to improve young people’s levels of obesity up and down the country.
Child obesity is characterised as a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile of weight distribution and has been a public health priority for several years. Statistics from Public Health England suggest that 1 in 3 children leaving primary school are overweight, with 1 in 5 classified as obese. This obesity epidemic has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to a range of factors such as an increase in sedentary lifestyle choices. So, it is essential that research is undertaken to fully understand the impact covid-19 has had on young people, and most importantly to identify interventions to reverse this worrying trend on young people’s health and wellbeing.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, a contributing factor to the increase in obesity has been the lack of compulsory activity for young people and the lack of self-motivation. Jia et al (2021) suggested that during lockdown there was a decrease in active transport, moderate housework and physical activity but increases were seen in sedentary time, hours of sleep and screen time. They suggested that the school closures had a direct effect on activity patterns and weight gain of school students due to the virtual scheduled PE lessons and extracurricular clubs not being compulsory. Jia et al (2021) concluded that the sedentary side of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated child obesity. Additionally, research from the Sport and Recreation Alliance found that junior memberships from sports clubs outside of school hours fell by 67% during lockdown, with a projected return at almost 30% less than pre-pandemic levels. These figures indicate that there is a current decline in young people taking up physical activity out of school hours, even after lockdown. This reduction in activity is likely to increase the risk of obesity, as young people are not taking part in physical activity independently from school. Therefore, as a Foundation we aim to address this rising issue by inspiring the next generation to get active alongside our fantastic team of Ambassadors. During our programme days, young people enjoy trying a new sport for the first time which they then go on to look for a club outside of school. This motivation to try something new is incredibly important to us and we always encourage the students to find a local club near them to ensure that physical activity levels are always high, inside and outside of the school environment.
During the local lockdowns, the lack of outdoor space and communal play areas also played a contributing factor to the increase in obesity. Rundle et al (2020) researched the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people and suggested that children who do not have access to safe and accessible outdoor spaces are more likely to be impacted by the risk of obesity, which is especially seen in urban areas of England. Statistics from Patterson et al (2021) found that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 50% of children were not achieving the physical activity guidelines of 60 minutes a day. Their research also suggested that nearly 30% of children did not leave the house on a typical lockdown day. Children living in small spaces also faced greater challenges due to limited space to exercise, as well as the added challenge of local playgrounds and parks being closed off during the lockdowns (Cuschieri and Grech 2020). During lockdown, not having space to exercise can be challenging. However, Team Mintridge wanted to ensure that this wasn’t the case by adding multiple Ambassador led videos to our virtual finder for young people to try at home. These activity sessions also did not require large amounts of space or multiple bits of equipment. For example, Jade Windley showcased her tennis skills with no racket or court and Pamela Cookey led a wonderful core fitness workout where all you need is a space on a floor. You can watch these videos here! This showcased the power of how simple physical activity can be but equally how important is it to maintain a healthy mental well-being.
The Youth Sports Trust identified the challenges posed by Covid-19 in relation to young people and their activity levels. They found that the number of young people meeting the ideal guidelines of taking part in 60 minutes of physical activity every day dropped from 47% to 19% during the lockdown restrictions, within this 7% of young people were doing no exercise at all. Lack of exercise also correlated with the social background of these young people. Up to 13% of young people from less developed socio-economic backgrounds reported taking part in no exercise, compared with 6% of young people from more developed socio-economic backgrounds.
Although technology has been vital for online home learning and communicating with friends and teachers throughout the pandemic, research has shown that this increase in screen time has further exacerbated sedentary habits. Importantly this research also noted that increased screen time also increased the risk of anxiety and lack of self-esteem (Cuschieri and Grech 2020). Furthermore, this increase in screen time can also be linked to an increase in unhealthy snacking and therefore increase in body mass index (Marsh et al 2013). Even with the addition of virtual platforms being used to integrate home work outs for young children, for example the “Joe Wicks School Workout”, these physical activity sessions are not compulsory and therefore cannot guarantee physical activity whilst at home. It therefore can be seen that young people still need to make the choice to take part, have high amounts of self-motivation and encouragement from role models. Therefore, Team Mintridge took this virtual opportunity and ran with it. During lockdown, we added multiple physical activity sessions and classes led by our Ambassadors and uploaded them to our virtual finder. This gave young people and their friends and families the opportunity to stay active when outdoor and indoor spaces were closed. Also, as a Foundation, over the last year we have had to harness the increased need for technology for our Silver mentoring programmes as well as our adapted virtual bronze programmes. Furthermore, due to this increased need for technological support, we were delighted to introduce out new partnership with Active Digital who are kindly supporting the increased technology demands which the Mintridge Foundation has faced during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Mintridge Foundation therefore have an active role to play to enhance the recovery of inactivity. There is a need for inspiration, motivation and dedication and we have a fantastic team of Olympians, Paralympians and elite sport stars who can help to support the younger generation. Our bespoke mentoring programmes can help to increase the excitement of physical activity, introduces young people to new sports and creates relatable role models for them to look up to. Our Ambassadors started their elite journeys in a similar position to most young people so they can relate and learn from each other, inspiring them to be resilient when faced with a challenge and teaching them ways to bounce back after a setback. We also have a role to remove barriers in relation to sport, which gives young people the opportunity to dream big and reach for the stars. From this, the students develop with increased motivation, confidence and self esteem and our Ambassadors play an integral part in showing the students that they are capable to succeed in anything they do as long as they believe in themselves and work hard to achieve it. As a foundation we aim to inspire, encourage, educate young people to make positive choices for their own health and well being with the help and guidance from elite athletes who have been in their position before. You can see the impact below which our Programmes have had on young people, teachers and their families and we are always ready to inspire, support and mentor even more young people up and down the country.
Would you like to help us reduce the impact of Covid-19 on young peoples mental and physical well-being? Please look at how you can support us by clicking here.
We have had a fantastic year of programmes, despite the forever changing environment and we are keen to support even more young people during the next academic year. To read more about our inspirational programmes, please read some of the blogs below!
https://www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk/mintridge-foundation/theferrerschool2021
If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with any of our inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website at www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk or with Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk.
The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.
Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.
The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.
To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.