Kids who are engaged in sports have healthy eating habits, smoke less and drink less alcohol, fall ill less often. Why not help them achieve this goal?
The promotion of the culture of the movement among children is the fundamental objective of the project. Physical activity prevents overweight in childhood and adulthood. Sport develops self-awareness and reduces anxiety and stress. It teaches the child how to win and how to accept defeat, develops friendship and teaches him/her fair play in the sportsfiled and in life. Kids who are engaged in sports have healthy eating habits, smoke less and drink less alcohol, fall ill less often. Sports programs develop a lot of skills in the young, teamwork, self-discipline, better socialization in society, encouraging a proactive approach to life. The starting point for the founder of the project, the Health Life Academy, was the fact that physical inactivity is a key factor in health problems since the earliest age .
Having dealt obesity and diabetes in children, this year we are focused on anti-discrimination and promoting the inclusion of children with rare diseases
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children and young people spend at least 60 minutes a day in one of the sports activities of medium intensity. The world faces new challenges to preserve and improve people’s health. A higher living standard in the developed world does not automatically guarantee better health. We have faced new pandemics of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, heart and blood vessels diseases, diabetes, cancers, osteoporosis, etc. On the one hand, there is excessive energy intake and inadequate nutrition and, on the other, there is less activity and daily calorie burning.
Due to its exceptional importance, the project has had the support of the following institutions from the outset: Croatian Society of Obesity of the Croatian Medical Association, Croatian Society for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases of the Croatian Medical Association and the Croatian Institute of Public Health. In the synergy with sporting competitions, the Croatian Medical Association, in co-operation with the European Society for Obesity and the Croatian Institute for Public Health, has organized a scientific Symposium “Obese Children – Obese Adults” and the European OMTF course (European Obesity Management Task Force), intended to increase the competence of healthcare professionals who provide daily care to children and adults with an obesity problem. In 2016., a public health forum was held entitled “More Sports – Less Obesity”, where free blood pressure, weight and blood sugar measuring were provided for all participants .
The Head of the Symposium on several occasions was the President of the Croatian Society for obesity of Croatian Medical Association, prof.dr.sc. Davor Štimac. The issue of the prevention of obesity in the prevention of diabetes was explained by doc.dr.sc. Dario Rahelić, President of the Croatian Society for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases of Croatian Medical Association. Having informed the public about the problems of obesity and diabetes in children in 2015. and 2016., this year the Youth Movement Power project focused on anti-discrimination policy and promoting the inclusion of children with rare diseases in the community.
The starting point was the fact that physical inactivity is a key factor in health problems
The Public Health Forum “Socialization of Children with Rare Diseases” was held under the guidance of prof.dr.sc. Aida Mujkić, President of the Croatian Pediatric Society of Croatian Medical Association, intended to/for physical education teachers, trainers and interested public, with the aim of involving the children in the wider community.