Ingham families are urged to sign up to a free government-funded healthy lifestyle program that can potentially transform their lives and which offers a fresh start following any Christmas indulgence.
The PEACH (Parenting, Eating and Activity for Child Health) program commences in February 2015 and is being offered in response to rising rates of childhood obesity in Queensland.
It is the first time the program has been offered in Ingham having been launched in September 2013 with already 250 Queensland families taking part. The program will also be run for the third time in Townsville and makes its debut in Caloundra, Redcliffe, Yeppoon and on the Gold Coast
The program in Ingham is being delivered by Queensland University of Technology in partnership with the Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre and is funded by the Queensland Government.
Families with a child between 5-11 years whose weight is above a healthy range for their age and gender are eligible for the program.
Ms Quinta Lahtinen, Youth Worker at the Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre and Parent Facilitator in the program, says families who go through PEACH can expect to gain knowledge that will set them up to achieve a healthy lifestyle for the long term.
"We are really excited about offering the PEACH program to the local community and encourage any parent or carer who feels they need help with this important issue to make contact," Ms Lahtinen said.
"The great thing about this program is that it's family-focused so it doesn't stigmatise one child and it's conducted in a supportive group environment with people experiencing the same struggles."
Program director and head of QUT's Exercise and Nutrition Sciences School, Professor Lynne Daniels, said the response to the program so far has been encouraging and indicated a genuine need for this type of community service.
"We currently have 13 PEACH program groups running across the state and we're thrilled to be expanding the service in regional areas," Professor Daniels said.
"We hear parents say they are so relieved to be able to access this professional help because often they don't know where to begin.
"Acknowledging that their child may be overweight and then figuring out what to do about it can be very confronting."
Professor Daniels said if a parent thinks their child might be overweight they should go to their GP to have them weighed and measured as part of a standard health check or go directly to the PEACH website.
"Just like having a regular eye test, measuring a child's height and weight is part of tracking their growth and general health," she said.
"Parents should not feel guilty if they think their child is overweight, but they do need to make change in their family's lifestyle which is where the PEACH Program can help.
"By taking a parent-led approach, the program ensures that children are not stigmatised but that healthy change is made at a family level and therefore the benefits are there for all."
The program runs for 6 months and consists of 10 group sessions that run for 90 minutes each. The first 9 sessions are held weekly within the school term. Ongoing individualised family support is offered through the second half of the program ending with one final group session.
Some of the topics covered include nutrition skills, relationships with food and eating, changing family lifestyle behaviours and making healthy eating affordable. While the parent sessions are taking place, children enjoy active play with a trained child physical activity facilitator.
Families can contact the PEACH program on free call 1800 263 519 or register directly at www.peachqld.com.au.
Additional info:
•The PEACH™ program is evidence-based, internationally recognised and meets current guidelines and recommendations.
•Research shows that the program works. It has been evaluated as effective in a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)-funded trial the results of which were published in 2011 in Pediatrics, the official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
•In Australia, overweight and obesity rates in children has doubled over the past 30 years and in 2011-2012 in Queensland, one in four children is above their healthy weight.
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901.
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