The RedBranch Blog

Our experiences and personal opinions from the front-line.

PE in Ireland

A new study suggests that regular vigorous exercise can reduce the risk for breast cancer by almost one third. The study examined more than 100,000 women over a 12 year period, and the results support previous research into the link between physical activity and breast cancer. This doesn’t mean that if you exercise regularly you are 100% protected from breast cancer…but it does mean that being physically active will stack the deck in your favour.

Ireland is ahead of the EU average for new cases of breast cancer and for deaths due to breast cancer. We also have a significant problem with regard to physical activity in girls and young women. We frequently hear from teachers that girls begin to drop out of PE as they reach their teens. This phenomenon is well known, yet on a National level nothing is being done to address the situation. Schools are poorly resourced, both in terms of equipment, facilities and staff. Consider the following information that was collected by the ESRI:

The situation is arguably worse in National Schools, where 25% of schools lack access to indoor facilities. When we called the Department of Education and Science, we were told that the recommendation for PE in primary schools is only one hour per week. There is also a poverty dimension to this issue - we see a huge difference in PE resourcing between disadvantaged and affluent areas.

With regard to promoting physical activity to young people, our nation is a disgrace. Apart from our failure to resource PE in schools properly, we expect children to conform to our ideas of what exercise is. This is particularly evident amongst girls, who are usually expected to fit in to competitive (and arguably masculine) sports. We know that when you offer hip-hop dance as a physical activity, the participation rates amongst girls increase significantly. This isn’t rocket science…it doesn’t need an expensive study or a task force, it just requires someone to ask girls what activities they might enjoy, and to go ahead and start the classes. Dance is available in only 20% of secondary schools.

The government is well aware of the situation. The figures that we have quoted above came out of a study that was commissioned by the Irish Sports Council. What was the response? Well, the Irish Sports Council jumped into bed with Super Valu, linking shopping purchases to provision of sports equipment. So we have schools that have no proper facilities or resources, with PE provision being no more than a “recommendation”…with parents being pressurised to buy from a particular store so that schools can get equipment that may not even be used.

There is a clear danger that we will end up as a nation of couch potatoes. This will have a serious effect upon the health of our children, and will be reflected in rates of chronic illness (like breast cancer) where we already compare poorly with our European cousins. We think that the Government needs to allocate proper resources for schools PE.

In this election year, why not contact the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin and outline your concerns? In particular, we think that the government should have a proper strategy for helping promote physical activity in girls. At the very least, every secondary school in the country should have a qualified PE teacher, and every school should have easy access to appropriate indoor facilities. We need to break away from an out-dated idea of what PE is, and we need to risk making changes...it would be far riskier to maintain the dysfunctional status quo.

David Egan

Posted 2nd March 2007

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A number of schools we have worked with have received funding from their Local Sports Partnerships to supplement after-school physical activity programmes. If you are interested in setting up after-school activities for students then contact your Local Sports Partnership. Contact RedBranch if you need help.
 

Under the Irish Sports Council endorsed Super Valu "Kids in Action" scheme, this rugby ball (worth €13) would require €2,690 worth of in-store shopping. Is this scheme just a cynical attempt to exploit the underfunding of PE in schools?

TV Nation

TV keeps cropping up in our work...it’s almost getting boring. TV is by far the most popular leisure pastime in Ireland. Most children in Ireland spend more time watching telly than they spend in school or talking to their parents. Surveys have shown that adults in Ireland spend more time (by far) watching TV than they spend on religious activity, chatting with family, or childcare.

It isn’t surprising that TV has a biological effect on us...the act of watching TV for hours on end is hardly something that the human body is “designed” for...and recent research suggests that heavy TV watching may even be causing girls to reach puberty earlier. This is plausible, since exposure to TV reduces levels of a key hormone, melatonin. TV may well be one of the biggest unacknowledged health-hazards of our time...we already knew that heavy TV watching was associated with obesity and other life-threatening conditions.

I like TV. I like movies. But let’s put this in perspective...most of us watch way too much. We sit through dodgy movies, and see them through to the (bitter) end. We may even cut short talking to our friends so we can rush home and watch Eastenders. We don’t talk about reality during our tea break, we talk about reality TV...and yes, there is a difference. Many 6 year old children in Ireland will have spent one full year of their short lives in front of the box...that’s what you call “hands-off” parenting...and most parents are unaware of the health issues associated with excess TV.

The way we watch TV is changing. More than 50% of National School children have a TV in their bedroom, that they watch on their own. Heavy TV watching is bad enough, but for many children in modern Ireland TV viewing happens in social isolation. What effect will this have on our society? Your guess is as good as mine...but I don’t think the results will be pretty. You can’t discuss the TV programme as a family when you’re watching different things in different rooms.

So what’s the solution? Should we ban TV for kids? I don’t think so. We should probably try to follow expert guidelines that recommend children under the age of 2 should have no screen time, with judicious amounts of well-chosen TV for older children. We should also get the TV out of the bedroom. Banning the TV completely will be counter-productive in any case...if we ban things our kids want them all the more. Check out our TV tips for more suggestions. But one of the best things we can do as adults is to turn the TV off now and again. Choose what you want to watch, and limit your own TV time. If what you’re watching is dross, remember that the off button is there for a reason. Listen to music or chat to someone instead...and don’t be surprised if it feels awkward for a few minutes...TV has an anxiety-reducing effect, so you may feel anxious for a while when you turn it off.

Some psychologists believe TV is addicitive. Maybe we should all cut back on our habit, and start living in the real world. Let’s face it, in real-life, you don’t get a re-run.

David Egan

Posted 23rd February 2007

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All Work and No Play...

The World Health Organisation recommend that children get at least 60 minutes of activity per day. Let's face it, that guideline will never be achieved through organised sport...children need opportunities for unstructured physical play.

Play has many benefits for children and young people...the United Nations recognises play as being a basic right for every child. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play helps children explore their boundaries, play helps children learn. Play helps children develop complex motor skills, and play helps children learn how to interact with others. Play even helps society...lack of adequate access to play has been clearly linked to anti-social behaviour. When children play during break time at school, their concentration improves during class time. Children need direct experience of the real world. In short, children need to play!

Our work paints a picture of a rapidly changing childhood. Children have less opportunity for unstructured play. Many school playgrounds in Ireland are little more than uninspiring bare patches of tarmac and grass. Many schools operate a "no-run" policy in the playground, and many schools are unaware of the importance of play. Schools receive little help regarding play, even though for many children, school playtime is the only opportunity they get for unstructured play. Parents are often "too busy" to play with their children. Parental concern for our children, while sometimes justified, may lead us to be over-protective. Our children lead increasingly ordered and prearranged lives - physical activity happens as part of formal training sessions - dance, hurling, soccer, rugby "training" - rather than informal kick-abouts, tree climbing, role playing and other child-lead activities.

Children need real the freedom of real play rather than virtual entertainment and passive TV time. As parents, we shouldn't rely on over-structured activities to fill the vacuum when there is no room for play in our childrens' lives. One of the great things about being a parent is that it opens up the opportunity to play. Try turning off the TV and playing with your children...and let them lead you for a change.

The leading play agency in Northern Ireland, PlayBoard, has called on the government and politicians to encourage schools in the North to give greater priority to children’s play. The call is contained in a special ‘Play Manifesto’ which was released earlier this week. Amongst other things, PlayBoard are calling for real investment in the support of play. This includes playground development, and a school lunchtime break of at least one hour and a morning break of at least 15 minutes. Many schools in Ireland barely give children enough time to eat their lunch properly, let alone time to socialise and play. My own children often come home from school and tell me that they didn't have time to eat their lunch because the break was too short, or that they have been banned from running in the schoolyard.

We think the PlayBoard initiative is an excellent idea, that should be extended to cover the entire Island of Ireland. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy...so let's give our kids proper breaks, and more opportunities to play. Their lives will be less dull, and they will be healthier, happier and brighter.

David Egan

Posted 16th February 2007

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Many schools in Ireland have a "no-run" policy in the playground (unlike Foynes NS, pictured above), possibly because of fear of litigation if children get injured. Is this a valid fear? Lack of physical activity is certainly one of the major health issues facing Irish children today.

Marketing Junk Food to Children

Some newspapers in the UK have reported that Masterfoods (also known as Mars, the makers of M&Ms, Mars, Snickers and Maltesers) is to stop marketing sweets to children under the age of 12 by the end of the year. Apparently, the self-imposed ban covers traditional forms of advertising, as well as sponsorship and websites. We were interested to find out if the ad-ban would cover Masterfoods products in Ireland, so as concerned parents, we gave them a call. According to Masterfood’s Irish PR department, they have not been advertising to children for the last five years. Apparently, this latest measure is simply an internal guideline, because the official company policy wasn’t being followed in all countries. Masterfoods said that they were upset that it had been leaked to the media, and they felt that Mars had been unfairly jumped on as “nasties”.

Interestingly, Masterfoods Ireland said that children under the age of 9 don’t respond to adverts on the TV, and that they don’t pick up on brands. We think this is nonsense, and most marketers would tell you that brand preference begins at an early age - well before children actually buy products. Marketers also know that children exert considerable pressure on parents’ purchases...they call such influence “the Nag Factor”, or “Pester Power”.

Masterfoods Ireland were also quite proud of the fact that they haven’t been advertising in schools. However, according to the Masterfoods Ireland website, they were clearly touting snack vending machines to schools. To quote from the site:

“...whether people are in school, college, at the gym or waiting for a train, through vending, they should now have the opportunity to buy snacks. Vending is an ideal, efficient way to service these peoples' needs, without extra work or cost to you. MARS products are clear leaders in the Irish market. We have the best known brand names, which are heavily supported by advertising and are continuously growing.”

So, no advertising in schools, just plenty of snack vending. Why not email Masterfoods and ask them for their policy on school vending machines? Just click the link above, which will start your email programme and generate an email to Masterfoods. You could ask them about the quote from their website, which suggests that they are targeting schoolchildren. If they are vending so called "healthy" products in schools, why not ask for a product list, and we will evaluate it to see if the products are really healthy. If you or your child's school has a vending machine of any description, send us details of the products being sold.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem – and snack vending machines in schools are not helping. The odd Mars bar (or high-sugar breakfast bar) as a treat is obviously no harm - we're not killjoys- but time and again we see children who consume far too much of this stuff, often during school hours and at the expense of healthier options. We know that two-thirds of Irish parents are concerned about the advertising of unhealthy food to children. Isn't it high time that we started doing something about this issue?

David Egan

Posted 9th February 2007

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A survey of Irish children in 2005 by the Irish Universities Nutritional Alliance found that 20% of Irish children's energy intake came from treat foods. Over consmption of empty calorie junk food is a real issue amongst Irish children.

The Changing Face of Diabetes... “Adult-Onset” No More!

Once upon a time there was a disease called “Adult Onset Diabetes”...it was called this because it affected overweight people in their 40’s and 50’s.  In the last decade, the disease has reinvented itself. Because more young people are getting the condition, we’ve had to change the name. It’s a bit silly to label an illness “adult-onset” when teenagers are starting to get the condition. So now we just call it “Type 2 Diabetes”. It’s by far the most common form of diabetes, and it’s on the increase. It is a major cause of ill-health and premature death, and it will knock roughly 15 years off your lifespan if you get it.  According to the World Health Organisation, by the year 2030, the number of people with diabetes will more than double. In Ireland, €580 million per year is already spent treating the disease, and this doesn’t include the indirect cost to individuals, families and communities.

Ten or fifteen years ago, the condition was fairly rare in children but now it is much more common in young people. It is closely linked to obesity, with very obese people being more likely to end up with the condition. Every second person in Ireland is overweight, and obesity in children is becoming a serious issue. Recent surveys show that 20% of Irish children are overweight, and 5% of Irish children are obese -  this means that Type 2 Diabetes is an epidemic waiting to happen, and our children are in the front line.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth €580 million of Cure

Type 2 Diabetes is largely preventable. A healthy diet, regular exercise and keeping a healthy weight have all been shown to reduce risk for the condition. Prevention is the way to go, but it rarely gets on the agenda. Our health service is really not geared up for health, it is busy dealing with illness. We need the Doctor when we’re ill - but who do we see when we’re interested in staying well? This is one reason why we started RedBranch in the first place. Helping children to stay well is our raison d'être.

Yesterday I gave a workshop at a large secondary school in the Midlands. Looking around the room of 13 year olds, I estimated that roughly ¼ of students had a weight problem. We see the same pattern in almost every school we visit around the country. I’m a parent myself, and to be honest, it makes me sad as well as worried. When we talk to young people, we find that their lives consist of long periods spent passively in front of the TV, and their diet consists largely of junk food. They are not active, they don’t walk anywhere, they sleep poorly. Many young people don't make choices about their lifestyle, they drift and are easily influenced by commercial pressures which usually promote the wrong choice. The kids we speak to are interested in health issues, but talking is not enough. Our children are growing up in toxic environments, where junk food is easily accessible in the school canteen, tuck shop or vending machines. Most primary school students in Ireland are lucky if they get 1 hour of PE per week. Young people aren't actively choosing poor lifestyle habits, it happens almost by accident.

We need to do more to help young people be active and to have healthier diets, both at school and in the home. We need to imaginatively promote activity, rather than serving up the same old tired options that young people are rejecting. We should make the unhealthy options more difficult to access, and we should make it easy for children to make healthy choices. If we can get kids to be more active, and to eat healthily, we can avert a looming crisis... but we’re going to have to act imaginatively, and we’re going to have to do it fast!

More info on Diabetes and Diabetes prevention.

David Egan

Posted 1st February 2007

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Poor diet and lack of exercise have been linked to Type 2 diabetes. The condition will knock 10-20 years off your lifespan. It will also mean that you spend potentially 40 years of your life trying to prevent serious complications like:

Many people with Type 2 Diabetes eventually die from Heart Disease

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