Friday, April 20, 2007
Middlesex London Health Unit
Turn Off the Screens Week Could be First Step to Boosting Kids` Activity
London, ON – Like Spring and warm weather,
Turn Off The Screens Week is back, calling
on families across London and Middlesex County
to put down the remotes, get up and get
active. The program starts on Monday, April 23rd
and challenges school age children and
their families to spend a full five days away from
the television, the computer, portable video
games and any device with a screen.
The message of Turn Off The Screens Week is
particularly significant this year, in light of
the release in March of Healthy Weights for
Healthy Kids, the report of the Standing
Committee on Health. The findings were
alarming. Canada has one of the highest rates of
childhood obesity in the developed world with
more than a quarter of young Canadians
between the ages of 2 and 17 overweight or
obese. Further complicating the matter is that
parents often don’t recognize the problem. The
report found that only 9 percent of parents
identified their children as being overweight or
obese.
A lack of physical activity, combined with a
significant amount of time spent in front of a
screen were identified as important factors in the
growing problem of childhood obesity.
As an alternative to television, computers and
video games, Turn Off The Screens is
offering a range of family activities across London
and Middlesex County. In London,
activities will be held at the Downtown, Bob
Hayward and East London branches of the
YMCA, Canada Games Aquatic Centre, South
London Community Pool, Storybook
Gardens, Stronach Community Recreation Centre
and the Carling Heights Optimist Centre
Pool.
In the Strathroy area families can take part in a
Family Fitness and Games night at the
Strathroy-Caradoc YMCA. Activities in Middlesex
County are also planned for Dorchester
Arena, Biddulph Central School, Centennial
Central, St. Patrick’s Catholic School,
McGillivray Central and Prince Andrew
School.
A total of 117 area schools have registered to
participate and it is hoped that up to 7,500
children and their families take up the challenge.
Log sheets to record their progress are
available at a variety of community locations, or
can be downloaded from the Middlesex-
London Health Unit web site at www.healthunit.c
om.
A complete schedule of Turn Off The Screens
Week activities and a list of prizes follows
this release.
Media contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager,
Middlesex-London Health Unit 663-5317 ext.2469
or 617-0570 (cell.)
Spokesperson:
Bernadette Garrity, Public Health Nurse, Chair
Middlesex-London Turn Off The Screens
Week Committee
For the complete schedule of Turn Off The
Screens Week activities, please visit the London Middlesex Health Unit`s
Website.
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