Peterborough healthy living campaign turns to children in July

The campaign will promote three main areas for improving children’s health: the importance of physical activity; eating well and looking after teeth.

Today, only two in every 10 children aged five to 15 meet the recommended level of physical activity, which is at least an hour per day. Exercise is important for fitness and muscle strengthening, and could include walking, skating and cycling; swimming, running and football or other sports; plus gymnastics or martial arts.

Children under five should be even more active and should be moving for at least three hours every day to help their development.

Eating well and maintaining a healthy weight is just as important. In Peterborough, more than one in five 4-5 year-olds are overweight or obese, and obesity almost doubles between starting and leaving primary school.

This month, Healthy Peterborough helps adults and children understand which healthy foods they should be eating more of, and which are the things to cut back on or avoid.

Councillor Diane Lamb, Peterborough City Council’s cabinet member for public health, said: “Exercise and healthy eating both help children maintain a healthy weight - which reduces their risk of poor health. A healthy weight can also increase self-confidence and improve concentration, which aids learning in school.

“Introducing more activity into your family time is healthy for all of us - and fun. Swap a trip to the cinema for a family bike ride or a visit to the swimming pool.

“Looking after our children’s teeth is also very important, and is linked to a healthy diet. In Peterborough, one in four children starting school already have tooth decay. It’s caused by having sugary food and drinks too often. Swap fizzy drinks and fruit juice to plain water or milk to help protect children’s teeth, and make sure they brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.”

The Healthy Peterborough website features lots of helpful information for parents on how to introduce healthy changes that will benefit their children. To find out more, visit http://www.healthypeterborough.org.uk

Useful facts, support and tips will be provided via social media and posters across the city throughout July.

The Healthy Peterborough campaign is led by Peterborough City Council and supported by Peterborough City Hospital, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Pharmaceutical Committee and Public Health England.