Recent research by ‘Health and Well-being of Schoolchildren’, the Dutch branch of Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), shows that young people in the Netherlands do not exercise enough and do not eat healthily enough.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), young people should exercise for at least one hour a day to stay healthy. Exercise and play are healthy—for both your body and your brain. Compared with other European countries, the Netherlands performs reasonably well on average. But of course, this can still be improved.
Local activities
That is why activities are being organised at schools, clubs and community centres during the Week for a Healthy Youth to encourage a healthy lifestyle among children. For example, JOGG ambassador Ingrid Jansen is getting more than 300 children moving in Roosendaal, while dancer/actor Juvat Westendorp is dancing with children in Haarlem. In Neder-Betuwe, hundreds of children are running The Daily Mile together with Erben Wennemars, and the Tag Championship is taking place at RKC Waalwijk.
Marjon Bachra, director of JOGG, says: “We want to show how much fun it can be to live healthily. Children who do get enough exercise and eat healthily are fitter, can concentrate better and feel more comfortable in their own skin.”
A step forward towards a healthy environment
The initiator of the week is Young People at a Healthy Weight (JOGG). Together with nearly 145 municipalities, it works nationally and locally to make children’s environments healthier. A network of parents, neighbourhood residents, local administrators, professionals and entrepreneurs makes agreements for concrete action. There are already visible results; in 25 municipalities, there has been a decrease in children’s BMI.
What step will you take—or will you take together—during the Week for a Healthy Youth? For more information, visit:www.weekvoordegezondejeugd.nl
The photos accompanying this article are by Hilbert Krane.