Department of Health (National) Schools in deprived areas to receive pedometers New National Programme to Help Children Beat the Bulge Children at schools in deprived areas are to be given pedometers as part of a £494,000 project to motivate inactive children to become fitter. Public Health Minister Caroline Flint has launched the National School Pedometer Programme, which will see 250 schools in deprived areas across the country be given 45,000 pedometers, to encourage children to become more active. In addition, all schools will have access to online resources that can be used inside and outside the classroom. The National programme announcement comes on the heels of a successful pilot pedometer scheme Schools on the Movethat was trialed in 50 schools and showed encouraging increases in childrens' activity levels. Most children said the pilot increased their interest in physical activity and half said they had become more active as a result. While the pilot proved particularly effective at encouraging less active children to do more exercise, it did appeal to children of all fitness levels. Even families of students got in on the action as students were so keen to improve their step count they persuaded their parents to take them on country walks and visit local health clubs at weekends. In the national programme pedometers will be used in schools as a tool to support a wide range of curriculum topics and to increase awareness amongs pupils of the need to be active. Teachers will be trained in how to use the programme within the curriculum. Children will be able to chart their pedometer progress by logging onto a dedicated website that will help them set step targets. The Schools on the Movepilot shows physical activity levels and interest in continuing did increase for participants, particularly those who were less active. 63 per cent of children felt that the Schools on the Moveproject had increased the amount of discussion and interest in physical activity within their school. Step counts increased steadily from an average of 8355 steps at baseline to an average of 13939 at the end of the 23 week programme. Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said: "Using Pedometers in schools has successfully encouraged children, especially those who do less exercise, to become more active, so I am pleased to announce that this scheme is being extended. It is particularly impressive that the childrens' enthusiasm for pedometers has led to whole families becoming fitter as children have been so eager to improve their step count they have persuaded their parents to do things like go walking with them, or join an exercise club. "Pedometers help to show that you don't need to join a gym or start running marathons to improve your fitness levels - simple things like going out for a walk, or taking the stairs instead of a lift can all help to improve your overall physical well being." We know that obesity prevalence is often high in deprived areas and schools with high levels of obesity will therefore benefit from the National School Pedometer Programme. Evidence shows that obesity is best tackled through activities and interventions targeted at a population level that address the whole school environment and the wider local community. Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: "The use of pedometers in schools has proven a great way of not only increasing young peoples' physical activity levels but also helps us take the importance of daily exercise into the classroom." "By making physical activity relevant across the curriculum, you can engage even more young people with sport and exercise and likewise stimulate learning in other subjects like Maths, Science and Geography." Schools Minister Jim Knight said: "Walking is one of the easiest ways to exercise and pedometers can make it more fun for children. Good habits started early can help children maintain a healthy lifestyle through their adult lives. "Schools are already increasing children's activity levels by boosting the opportunities to take part in PE and school sport. Pedometers can be especially effective in encouraging young people to be active out of school hours and at weekends." For public enquiries contact 0207 210 4850. Notes for Editors 1. Increasing activity levels can help prevent serious conditions such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and cancer. 2. Young people should achieve a total of at least 60 minutes of at least moderate intensity physical activity per day. 3. 30 per cent of boys and 40 per cent of girls are not achieving the recommended physical activity levels. 4. The 250 schools in the National School Pedometer Programme will be in deprived areas. 5. Students' intention to maintain their walking levels was optimistic as 35 per cent reported that they 'definitely' will maintain their walking during the next 12 months. 6. The pedometer scheme complements the DfT and DfES scheme to pay grants to schools to increase walking to school. More than 1,200 schools have already applied for these grants for Walking Buses and other walking initiatives. Schools can continue to apply until the closing date for applications is 31 January. 7. The National programme is funded by the Department of Health and managed by the Youth Sport Trust. 8. The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity established in 1994 to build a brighter future for young people through sport. For more information, visit http://www.youthsporttrust.org ------------------- Problems/Questions? Send it to Listserv owner: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe, send the following message in the text section -- NOT the subject header -- to [log in to unmask] SIGNOFF SDOH DO NOT SEND IT BY HITTING THE REPLY BUTTON. THIS SENDS THE MESSAGE TO THE ENTIRE LISTSERV AND STILL DOES NOT REMOVE YOU. To subscribe to the SDOH list, send the following message to [log in to unmask] in the text section, NOT in the subject header. SUBSCRIBE SDOH yourfirstname yourlastname To post a message to all 1200+ subscribers, send it to [log in to unmask] Include in the Subject, its content, and location and date, if relevant. 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