Health for Schools and Families

RedBranch is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes healthy lifestyle choices in Irish children and young people. We work with schools and parents, and act as advocates for healthy food and physical activity choices.

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Lifestyle News

Rising Obesity Levels: A Cancer Time Bomb

Video Nasty: Too Much TV Affects Health

Children Need Play

Irish Cancer Cases Ahead of EU Average

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Parent Power

Our children consume huge amounts of junk food, and don't eat nearly enough fruit and vegetables for good health.  Levels of physical activity in our children are also worryingly low.  These lifestyle habits are a deadly combination.  There is clear evidence to suggest that poor diet and lack of physical activity increase the risk for coronary heart disease, type II diabetes and certain cancers, amongst other chronic illnesses.  Lifestyle choices also affect performance in every area of human endeavour. Poor diet and lack of physical activity affect mood, academic performance, and may even contribute to behavioral difficulties like ADHD.

There is nothing wrong with kids drinking soft drinks or eating sweets now and again, but junk food has become a daily part of the diet. Children watching TV for more than 3 hours per day is becoming increasingly common, and this passivity is dangerous. You can check what the World Health Organisation has to say about this issue by clicking here. Poor lifestyle habits are becoming the norm, and this is a real problem.

This hasn't happened by accident. Parents are under sustained pressure from advertisers to buy certain products for their children. Children themselves are targeted. Advertisers often make dodgy claims about their products, and employ tactics like "the nag factor" to get parents to buy. We do out best to highlight this. If we see an advertising claim that doesn't stand up, we aim to make parents aware of it. You can see some examples here. Lots of money is being made on the back of our lifestyle disaster, and we think that it is high time that this issue was exposed.

Parents are a target.  We aim to show you how you are targeted, and to provide you with information so that you can make your own decisions.  We want to help parents "Take the Power Back", so that our children's health isn't governed by the whims of advertisers and marketing executives.

 

Heavy TV watching has been linked to poor academic performance, type II diabetes, obesity, and risk factors for heart disease

 

Tel: +353 (0)61 713 750    email:  info@red-branch.com

RedBranch School Health Ltd, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, Ireland

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Last modified: December 07, 2007

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