Health and Wellbeing for Children

Health and Wellbeing for Children

1 in 4 children in the UK are overweight”

(Rudolf et al., 2010, p.851)

This staggering statistic shows the shocking reality of one of the many issues facing our young people. Childhood obesity is consistently increasing, year after year, suggesting that drastic action needs to be taken (Hamilton-Shield and Sharp, 2015). Through much research, the words crisis and epidemic were a common occurrence, which have the connotation of something rather serious. But why do we have a crisis and whose job is it to fix it?

A few reasons for the increase in weight is that junk food is rapidly become cheaper than fresh food and produce (Freedman, 2011). With 28% of children in Wales living in poverty (Welsh Government, 2018), it is understandable that fast food would become more appealing because parents are able to provide food due to the low costs. Similarly, the environment that children surround themselves with can also impact upon the reason for being overweight (Freedman, 2011). Judith Harris’s group socialisation theory shed some light on this; she explains that children learn more from their peers than from a significant adult (Keenan et al., 2016). This indicates that children follow the lead and are encouraged by other friends around them. Therefore, if other children are eating badly around them, then they are more likely to eat badly themselves. Carter et al. (2011) suggest that television advertisement of junk food, those typically higher in fat (Darter and Nicosia, 2012), can lead to childhood obesity. They go on to explain that children are unaware of the persuasive techniques used in the videos, and compel the children to want to buy them (Carter et al., 2011).

This advert by McDonalds (2018) shows children exploring their creativity and their imagination with the gift they receive when purchasing one of their happy meals. This advertisement doesn’t actually show the children eating their food, only the reward they get once they have purchased the meal. This incentive refers back to Carter et al. (2011) who indicates that children only want the junk food because inevitably they want the toy, but children don’t understand this.

The effects of being overweight as a child can have harmful effects on the child’s development: socially, emotionally and physically, if they are labelled as overweight (Dalton, 2005). This author suggests that the word obesity is loaded with emotion which can significantly affect a child (Dalton, 2005). This suggests that correct phrasing should be used around children, and children need to be taught about weight in order to prevent them from using it as a weapon. A video issued by Public Health England (2018) suggests that being overweight can lead to bullying and low self-esteem in children and so reiterates the point of children being taught not to use weight as a weapon. If a child is overweight, their chances of being obese as an adult is increased (Welsh Government, 2017). This can lead to multiple health issues such as: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure (Abelson and Kennedy, 2004: Public Health England, 2018).

Another significant issue that young people face is the use of social media and the negative implications that they are presented with when using it. Technology is apparent in nearly every aspect of society and more children are engaging in and using social media (McLean et al., 2017: The Lancet, 2018).

Children who use social media, face body image concerns, particularly when they follow profiles that are appearance orientated, on sites such as Instagram (Fardouly et al., 2018), which is regarded as the worst social media for mental health (RSPH, 2017). A particular social media site that is “breeding ground for bullying” is Ask.fm (Milosevic, 2018), which allows people to ask questions anonymously. This highlights that children, already at such a young age, are comparing themselves to people who only post the best version of themselves (Musk in Rogan Podcast, 2018: Fardouly et al., 2018). These comparisons are dangerous to young children and their mental health as they encourage more depressive symptoms (Fardouly et al., 2018). Similarly, the use of breeding ground in describing Ask.fm suggests that children are purposefully being nasty to one another. These statements from Fardouly et al. suggest that children are not properly prepared to use social media and don’t understand the best possible way to use it.

Another significant issue, related to social media use, is cyberbullying (Vaillancourt et al., 2017). The term cyberbullying can be debatable as it can be done through many forms (Kowalski et al., 2012). These can include embarrassing someone, threatening them, socially excluding them or just plain cruel to them, all through to median of social media (Kowalski et al., 2012: Vaillancourt et al., 2017). Kowalski et al. (2012) suggests that cyberbullying can take place by one person targeting another through many profiles created across a range of social media websites. Imagining a child who believes they are hated by a gang when it is only one person, is horrendous. I know that something like this can happen as my niece, during her time in primary school was targeted by a girl on social media, for the way she looked. Luckily my niece was fine after, but as stated, episodes like this can have devastating effects on young people’s mental health (Fardouly et al., 2018)

In order for children to be made fully aware of the dangers of social media, digital literacy should be made a crucial part of policy, within the school environment and at home (The Lancet, 2018). This suggests that it isn’t just one particular area that can help stop the horrendous use of social media, it needs recognition from all areas of a child’s life.

(St John Lloyds, 2018)

The image above shows that schools are trying to emphasise to parents what the dangers of being online can do to a child. This particular school, is one that I recently volunteered in and the staff are excellent and committed to ensuring the safety of their pupils. The school is aware of the age limits on these social media websites, but understands that their pupils are active users. This implies that they would prefer their students to be knowledgeable and safe.

In order to tackle these issues, the Welsh Government are introducing a Health and Wellbeing Area of Learning and Experience (AOLE), as part of the new curriculum (Donaldson, 2015). It’s important to highlight the use of wellbeing in the title due to the shocking statistics by Young Minds (2018) that emphasis 1 in 4 children show evidence of poor mental health and that between the ages of 5 and 19, suicide is the most common cause of death in both boys and girls. These statistics indicate that there is a major issue concerning our children, and the fact that the Welsh Government is trying to address these issues, is promising.

Abelson and Kennedy (2004) implies that Government should take the initiative and make sure that schools are teaching children about their diet. However, within the Health and Wellbeing AOLE, it sets out to address physical activity and diet (Donaldson, 2015), which implies that it has the ability to try and tackle the obesity crisis that is affecting our young people. Donaldson (2015) highlights that by teaching children about diet and healthy living, they will develop habits that will promote their own wellbeing. A main point for the curriculum reform in Wales, is that it promotes the idea of cross-curricular (Donaldson, 2015). If children are being taught in this way, they will be able to look at human anatomy in biology whilst learning about how to keep it healthy through Health and Wellbeing. This suggests that the curriculum change has the ability to really tackle the main issues affecting young people.

When looking into the structure of the Welsh curriculum, I came across the Australian curriculum, which has many of the same features, but a noticeable difference was the mention of the body (Australian Curriculum, 2017). Throughout the Australian curriculum, there is an emphasis on the body and movement, throughout the Health and Physical Education section (Australian Curriculum, 2017). The issue that could arise here in Wales, if this is not done, is that physical activity and its effect on the body will not be taught. It suggests that children might not be fully educated on such an important issue within society and teachers need to be made aware of this before the full implementation of the new curriculum.

A particular activity that schools can introduce as part of Health and Wellbeing is yoga. According to Folleto et al. (2016), yoga is mixture of body, mind and emotions, in equilibrium. This suggests that yoga can address many of the issues impacting young people because it is getting children moving and helping their mental state. Folleto et al. (2016) conducted a study which found that yoga helps balance and motor cognition, indicating that it could benefit children’s ability to learn better. However, the study was conducted with only 16 children over 12 weeks. This is a very small sample size, which wouldn’t give a full representation on the majority of children, but does begin to emphasise the benefits of yoga in education. Similarly, yoga in education can enhance self-regulation and self-control, as it focuses on breathing, concentration and relaxation (Razza et al., 2013: Peck et al., 2005). This implies that disorders such as ADHD could be helped as it teaches children how to calm themselves down and how to be thoughtful of others around them (Peck et al., 2005).

As part of a collaborative app my university are making with several primary schools, I had the opportunity to lead some yoga lessons with my peers. During these sessions, we introduced some of the positions needed, and created games around these positions. The children we so interested in these games because it was a different way of learning. It was something that some of them had never done and so they were very much engaged in the sessions. These sessions did not signify to us that these children had any disorders or behavioural problems, but in fact some of them did. We interlinked mindfulness into the yoga so that the children really focused on the here and now (Kabat-Zinn, 1994), and the response when leaving was that they felt very calm. Teachers could use these activities after break or lunch in order to calm the students down to enable them to focus on their learning (Peck et al., 2005).

Another way teachers could encourage health and wellbeing is through the use of Fitbit’s in their classrooms (Harris and Chen, 2018). These encourage students to engage in more physical activity and movement in order to become more healthy (Harris and Chen, 2018). Yang et al. (2017) conducted a study to see the effectiveness of using a wearable device and a mobile app would have on tackling the obesity crisis. They found that more children were engaged in the study and interested in the amount of steps they did because of the use of technology (Yang et al., 2017). This suggests that we should be using all aspects of technology within education rather than just iPads or computers to better their learning.

Fitbit, 2018

During a lecture at university, we Skyped a local school - St Julian’s, who informed us on some of the ways they try and keep their children healthy and active. They showed us some of the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that they do, once a month and got us students to involved with the workout. Some of the activities included squats onto our seats, some jumping jacks and arm stretches. These were just some of the activities that they do regularly in the classroom in order to make sure their students are being active. They also expressed how once a month they get the children involved in a live cook along, which allows the children and an adult, at home, to cook healthily by being guided by a teacher on live stream. This shows how the school and parents can become involved in ensuring that children are taught how to live healthily. Similarly, the school took part in a ‘walk to Uganda’ where they calculated the amount of steps to walk to Uganda and tracked their progress using FitBit’s. The pupils were in competition with the teachers and so according to Mr Mansfield, during the Skype call, the students were very invested in getting as many steps as they could.

Overall, the health and wellbeing of many young people is deteriorating and needs to be addressed. What is evident from my reading is that help for these children to be unanimous: parents, schools, government. Simple activities such as teaching children about diet and short bursts of yoga could really benefit children’s health and wellbeing.

References

·      Abelson, P. and Kennedy, D. (2004) ‘The Obesity Epidemic’, Science, 304(5676), p. 1413.

·      Australian Curriculum (2017) Health and Physical Education. Available at: https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/health-and-physical-education/?year=12993&year=12994&year=12995&year=12996&strand=Personal%2C+Social+and+Community+Health&strand=Movement+and+Physical+Activity&capability=ignore&capability=Literacy&capability=Numeracy&capability=Information+and+Communication+Technology+%28ICT%29+Capability&capability=Critical+and+Creative+Thinking&capability=Personal+and+Social+Capability&capability=Ethical+Understanding&capability=Intercultural+Understanding&priority=ignore&priority=Aboriginal+and+Torres+Strait+Islander+Histories+and+Cultures&priority=Asia+and+Australia%E2%80%99s+Engagement+with+Asia&priority=Sustainability&elaborations=true&elaborations=false&scotterms=false&isFirstPageLoad=false (Accessed: 07.12.2018).

·      Carter, O. Patterson, L.J. and Donovan, R.J. and Ewing, M.T. and Roberts, C.M. (2011) ‘Children’s understanding of the selling versus persuasive intent of junk food advertising: implications for regulation’, Social Science and Medicine, 72(6), p. 962-968.

·      Dalton, S. (2005) Our Overweight Children: What Parents, Schools and Communities Can Do to Control the Fatness Epidemic. California: University of California Press.

·      Darter, A. and Nicosia, N. (2012) ‘Junk Food in Schools and Child Obesity’, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 31(2), p. 312-337.

·      Donaldson, G. (2015) ‘Successful Futures’. Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales. Available at: http://gov.wales/docs/dcells/publications/150225-successful-futures-en.pdf (Accessed on: 03.12.2018).

·      Fardouly, J. and Magson, N.R. and Oar, E.L. and Rapee, R.M. (2018) ‘Parental Control of the Time Preadolescents Spend on Social Media: Link With Preadolescents’ Media Appearance Comparisons and Mental Health’, Journal of Youth and Adolescent (47)7, p.1456-1468.

·      Fitbit (2018) Fitbit charge 3. Available at: https://www.fitbit.com/uk/gift-guide (Accessed: 09.12.2018).

·      Folleto, J. and Pereira, K. and Valentina, N. (2016) ‘The effects of yoga practise in school physical education on children’s motor abilities and social behavior’, International Journal of Yoga, 9(2), p. 156-162.

·      Freedman, D.H. (2011) ‘How to fix the obesity crisis’, Scientific American, 304(2), p.40.

·      Hamilton-Shield, J. and Sharp, D. (2015) ‘Is the childhood obesity crisis over in England?’, Archives of disease in childhood, 100(3), p. 212-213.

·      Harris, H.B. and Chen, W. (2018) ‘Technology-Enhanced Classroom Activity Breaks Impacting Children’s Physical Activity and Fitness’, Journal of clinical medicine, 7(7), p. 1-10.

·      Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994) Wherever you go. There you are: mindfulness meditation in everyday life. London: Hachette Books.

·      Keenan, T. and Evans, S. and Crowley, K. (2016) An Introduction to Child Development. London: SAGE.

·      Kowalski, R.M. and Limber, S.P. and Agatson, P.W. (2012) Cyberbullying: Bullying in the digital age. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.

·      McDonald’s (2018) Roald Dahl’s Incredible Creatures| Happy Meal | TV Ad | McDonald’s UK. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KafHKmNElSg (Accessed: 03.12.2018).

·      McLean, K. and Edwards, S. and Morris, H. (2017) ‘Community playgroup social media and parental learning about young children’s play’, Computers and Education, 115(1), p. 201-210.

·      Milosevic, T. (2018) Protecting Children Online?: Cyberbullying Policies of Social Media Companies. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

·      Peck, H.L. and Kehle, T.J. and Bray, M.A. and Theodore, L.A. (2005) ‘Yoga as an Intervention for Children With Attention Problems’, School Psychology Review, 34(3), p. 415-424.

·      Public Health England (2018) Child Obesity. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQK4vj1Lzlg (Accessed: 03.12.2018).

·      Razza, R. and Bergen-Cico, D. and Raymond, K. (2013) ‘Enhancing Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation Via Mindful Yoga’, Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(2), p. 372-385.

·      Rogan, J. (2018) Joe Rogan Podcast – Elon Musk on Instagram. [Podcast]. 7 September. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-91z9h7y54 (Accessed: 06.12.2018).

·      RSPH. (2017) ‘Instagram ranked worst for young people’s mental health’. Available at: https://www.rsph.org.uk/about-us/news/instagram-ranked-worst-for-young-people-s-mental-health.html (Accessed: 06.12.2018).

·      Rudolf, M.C.J. and Hunt, C. and George, J. and Hajibagheri, K. and Blair, M. (2010) ‘HENRY: Development pilot and long-term evaluation of a programme to help practitioners work more effectively with parents of babies and pre-school children to prevent childhood obesity’, Child: Care, Health and Development, 36(6), p. 850-857.

·      St John Lloyds Primary School. (2018) [Twitter] 30 November. Available at: https://twitter.com/SJLCARDIFF/status/1068479355616198656 (Accessed: 06.12.2018).

·      The Lancet. (2018) ‘Children and Social Media’, The Lancet, 391(10116), p. 95.

·      Vaillancourt, T. and Fairs, R. and Misha, F. (2012) ‘Cyberbullying in Children and Youth: Implications for Health and Clinical Practise’, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(6), p. 368-373.

·      Welsh Government (2018) Percentage of all individuals, children, working-age adults and pensioners living in relative income poverty for the UK, UK countries and regions of England between 1994-95 to 1996-97 and 2014-15 to 2016-17 (3 year averages of financial years). Available at: https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Community-Safety-and-Social-Inclusion/Poverty/householdbelowaverageincome-by-year (Accessed: 03.12.2018).

·      Welsh Government (2017) Welsh Government seeks innovative ideas to tackle childhood obesity with healthier and cheaper food choices. Available at: https://gov.wales/newsroom/environmentandcountryside/2017/170324-welsh-government-seeks-innovative-ideas-to-tackle-childhood-obesity/?lang=en (Accessed: 03.12.2018).

·      Yang. H.J. and Kang, J.H. and Kim, O.H. and Choi, M. and Oh, M. and Nam, J. and Sung, E. (2017) ‘Interventions for Preventing Childhood Obesity with Smartphones and Wearable Device: A Protocol for a Non-Randomized Controlled Trial’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(2), p. 184.

·      Young Minds (2018) Mental Health Statistics. Available at: https://youngminds.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/mental-health-stats/ (Accessed: 07.12.2018).