| Childhood obesity is becoming a global problem. In Ireland, recent surveys indicate that one-in-five boys and girls is overweight and one-in-20 is obese. This affects their future health; an overweight child is twice as likely to become an obese adult as a normal-weight child. |
This national public health information and awareness programme Way2Go is aimed at helping families make healthier choices to tackle childhood obesity.
The resources and content of the programme were designed in consultation with Paula, a psychologist Mark Harrold and leading physical activity experts. It consists of public meetings for parents and a schools’ education programme, which was distributed to all secondary schools. Almost 2,000 members of the public attended the meetings and 746 secondary schools in Ireland have Way2Go as part of their curriculum, reaching approximately 224,000 students.
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| Paula was responsible for the nutrition presentations to parents around the country, the nutrition content of the Way2Go DVDs, workbooks and teachers' guides which were sent to schools nationwide. As part of the extended programme, a booklet for parents has been developed. This offers Paula’s and other leading expert’s advice on how to improve the diet and activity levels of the entire family. |
| The ‘Way2Go, For a Healthier You’ project won the ‘Best New and Innovative CSR Project’ at the Chambers Ireland President's Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility, 2006. |
