Aussie Mums Tackle Childhood Obesity with Outdoor Play

Australian mothers are taking action to combat the nation's rising obesity epidemic and to quell fears that kids across the country are becoming increasingly sedentary.

Although, national rates of childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes are among the highest in the world, a new survey by Toys "R" Us offers hope for a healthy future for Australian children, by revealing that most Australian mothers encourage their kids to engage in regular outdoor, physical activity, with 75% saying they get at least two or more hours of play each day.

However, there are still a quarter of mums (1 in 4) that admit their children get less than an hour of outdoor play each day - far less than the recommended daily amount- and an equal number concerned they don't get enough outdoor activity at school or day care.

"While the Toys "R" Us survey results are promising, it's still concerning that such a significant number of children aren't getting the required daily amount of outdoor play, which indicates we've got a long way to go in conquering one of our biggest public health challenges," explains Dr John Irvine, one of Australia's leading child psychologists and parenting authors.

"There are many important psychological and social reasons for keeping children active in play and it's imperative that more parents recognise that their kids need to be outside getting fitter, not inside getting fatter!" he adds.

For those that have observed the health warnings, 85% encourage physical activity by making it fun and accessible, and providing a range of outdoor play equipment such as bikes, trampolines or swing sets. In fact, most mothers (90%) acknowledge this is how their children get most of their daily exercise.

Toys "R" Us spokesperson Marion Joyce says the survey results are a reflection of the boom the outdoor play category has experienced in recent years. "We've seen a double-digit growth over the last three years, suggesting that Australian parents are becoming more engaged in recognising the importance of outdoor activity for their children. Trampolines, bikes, pools and swing sets are the most popular choices for families looking for outdoor fun solutions for their home," she adds.

For households with no outdoor play equipment, the main reasons include space constraints (37%) and overall cost (35%). To overcome these barriers Toys "R" Us has identified the Top 5 Outdoor Play Products under $40, as well as the Top 5 Portable Play Products. "These play options are both budget and space conscious and offer suitable alternatives to encourage more physical activity among families," adds Ms Joyce.

In addition to overall health and wellness, most Australian mothers believe that outdoor play helps to stimulate the mind and improve performance at school (82%), develop good social skills (75%), and maintain good behavior (56%).

Interview with Dr. John Irvine

Question: Did it alarm you that there are still a quarter of children getting less than an hour of outdoor play?

Dr. John Irvine: No, I think the stats are an understatement of the situation - families are time poor, park poor and too unsure about neighbours and strangers to let the kids out

Question: How can parents encourage their children to participate in the required daily amount of outdoor play?

Dr. John Irvine: The best way is to get out and play with the kids - lead by example - second best is to have good fun things for kids to play on that are easily accessible - third best is to get the kids into teams and clubs that kids enjoy that attract them outdoors.

Question: What activities can you suggest to parents to meet the required daily amount of outdoor play?

Dr. John Irvine: Good team sports or outdoor clubs, healthy friendship with neighbours to share play space, good outdoor equipment (eg trampolines, swings) to play on, good playgrounds that are safe, shady, have toilet facilities and good fun gear to challenge and attract the kids.

Question: What is the recommend required daily amount of outdoor play?

Dr. John Irvine: Paediatric physios seem to be suggesting a 2 hour per day optimum - that can include outdoor play time at school/preschool - this is not to underplay the value of indoor play but rather to get good balance.

Question: What are the benefits of the recommend required daily amount of outdoor play?

Dr. John Irvine: The benefits are many and varied and much more important than most parents realise - play is the single most important foundation for healthy development - it builds gross and fine motor skills, it builds problem solving and concept development, it builds creativity and imagination, it builds communication and social skills and it builds resilience and a strong healthy ego.

Question: How does childhood obesity affect children now and in their future?

Dr. John Irvine: Being seriously overweight has several disastrous consequences - not just for health and the increased risk of diabetes (which is a lifelong handicap) - but for self confidence, and it limits the child's ability to join in and so they feel left out (losers) and can get ridiculed so their self esteem suffers enormously.

Question: How is Toys "R" Us encouraging outdoor play for children?

Dr. John Irvine: Toys R Us are making more and more attractive and affordable pieces of play equipment that attract kids outdoors and that attract good social play with family and friends - in other words doing something to get kids out getting fitter, not indoors getting fatter.

Question: Why do you believe we have the highest national rates for childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes?

Dr. John Irvine: Australian kids have it too good. They suffer from "affluenza" - they're encouraged by the ads to eat junk food, they have remote controls to save an exercise, they have sophisticated electronic games that exercise just fingers and thumbs, they are driven to school rather than walking or riding and their play time at school is getting the squeeze from competing curricula.

Interview by Brooke Hunter