World Obesity Day 2016

In 1985 roughly 1 in 10 Australian children were overweight or obese. Today, that number is 1 in 4 – and projections show that by 2025 it will be 1 in 3.

The increase of obesity – specifically childhood obesity – in Australia, and across the globe, is ringing alarm bells. Overweight or obese children are likely to become overweight or obese adults, with poor consequences for their health, the health system and the community.

World Obesity Day was launched to stimulate practical solutions to reverse the obesity crisis. It falls on 11 October this year, focusing on childhood obesity and aligned with the recommendations in the WHO Commission’s report on Ending Childhood Obesity.

The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation has been addressing childhood obesity since 2001, working to introduce pleasurable food education to children during their learning years in order to form positive food habits for life.

Australia’s largest health insurer, Medibank, is equally committed to supporting Australians to achieve better health.

In 2012, the Foundation joined forces with Medibank as our Principal Partner to collaborate in the shared goal of Growing Healthy Kids.

The support of Medibank has seen participation in pleasurable food education grow from 33,400 learners per year in 2012 to more than 100,000 learners in kitchen garden schools and centres nationwide today.

This partnership has enabled educators in schools, early years learning centres and community organisations more access to the Foundation’s professional development, education resources and Kitchen Garden Classroom membership service.

Medibank’s support ranges from financial support to the Foundation for carrying on its not-for-profit work in health promotion and education to providing schools and learning centres with Kitchen Garden Classroom memberships and volunteers for working bees.

In the Medibank workplace, employees get a taste of pleasurable food education. The on-site garden and kitchen at Medibank Place in Melbourne regularly feature the Foundation’s menus, activities and workshops, and seasonal advice for the kitchen and garden. Staff across the country hold bean-growing competitions and share cooking successes, fundraise for schools and promote the pleasurable food education message.

This partnership creates and promotes a culture of positive food approaches in Australia, where communities connect, share learning and inspire each other, and access a continually updated bank of food education resources.

According to the WHO Commission’s report on Ending Childhood Obesity ‘comprehensive programmes that promote the intake of healthy foods and reduce the intake of unhealthy foods’ are vital to combating obesity.

On World Obesity Day 2016, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and Medibank are proud to be contributing to a healthier tomorrow by fighting obesity together.

All parents, guardians, educators and community advocates are invited to visit www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au for more information on how to integrate a pleasurable food education program into their local school or learning centre today, and further develop a food philosophy that supports a healthy lifestyle, committed to reducing childhood obesity.