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.