NATIONAL WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL DAY 4 MAY 2007
Why focus on walking?
Many leisure activities that are currently popular with children, such as watching television and playing computer games, involve very little physical activity. Many children are now also driven to school or other places, particularly for short journeys, rather than walking or cycling.
Physical inactivity and poor diet are major factors in the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and young people. About one in every five children is now overweight or obese in Australia. These children often experience a range of health problems while childhood obesity is known to be a good predictor of obesity in adulthood, which in itself is a major risk factor for poor health.
Physical inactivity and a poor diet are also risk factors in themselves for a number of chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and particular cancers.
Participation in regular moderate intensity physical activity and a balanced and nutritious diet are proven factors in controlling overweight and obesity, but also for general good health and well being. Healthy and active children live better and learn better, and grow up to be more healthy and active adults.
What is WSTSD?
Walk Safely To School Day (WSTSD) (and the companion event Walk to Work Day held later in the year) is a national event which aims to encourage young people to be more active and walk more, particularly by walking to and from school or for at least part of the journey.
The event provides an opportunity to promote the benefits of walking for health and well being as well as for the environment.
WSTSD forms a key component of the Australian Government’s response to creating an active and healthy Australia, and a response to the national action plan on obesity developed in conjunction with all State and Territory Health agencies and their Ministers. Hence, the initiative is part of, and linked to, a broader range of initiatives being put in place not only at the Australian Government level but also by State and Territory governments to tackle the problem of obesity and prevent chronic diseases particularly among children and young people.
Overall Aims of the WSTSD Initiative
The aim of the event is to get children and young people walking all or part of the way (in combination with public or other forms of transport) to and from school on the 4th May 2007 and to continue to do so after the event.
To achieve this broad aim it is important that schools, local communities and local and State/Territory government agencies are involved to the maximum extent possible so that they can link the event to other ongoing physical activity and road safety programmes and establish local networks, interest and infrastructure to make walking an activity which is safe, easy and fun.
What does WSTSD involve?
Essentially, WSTSD is a national community awareness and communication initiative which drives and supports local level action by schools, parents, businesses and the local community. It provides a catalyst for individual and community action and behaviour change.
It is not simply a yearly media event but rather an opportunity for an intensive period of liaison, building networks and media coverage to prompt local activity and build on other programs and activities aimed at promoting walking and active transport. The success of the event each year is measured not only by levels of awareness amongst the target population but also participation levels of students, schools and local government.
WSTSD can provide an opportunity to encourage the development of active transport and healthy eating policies within schools and to disseminate and highlight factual material (eg guidelines for physical activity for children and young people, dietary guidelines for children and young people, obesity guidelines etc) and promote innovative responses within schools and local communities to participation in walking activities and/or other physical activity, such as TravelSmart and other active transport initiatives.
Who is responsible for the WSTSD initiative?
WSTSD is run by the Pedestrian Council of Australia (PCA) Ltd in conjunction with its partners. The model has been piloted and refined over a number of years in NSW before being developed into a national model with the endorsement of all State and Territory governments and major funding from the Australian Government, particularly from the Department of Health and Ageing.
Who are the partners?
Over the last few years a number of partnerships have been formed to facilitate the health messages and actions of WSTSD. The key partners reflect the main chronic disease areas which we are working together to prevent or minimise their impact. They are:
- National Heart Foundation (NHF),
- the Cancer Council (CC),
- Diabetes Australia (DA), and
- Beyond Blue (BB).
For State/Territory specific links to these organisations see:
http://www.heartfoundation.com.au/index.cfm?page=25
http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/about_us/diabetes.html
http://www.cancer.org.au/
Other key players who have an important role in building the infrastructure, programs and services to support physical activity and good nutrition choices include the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Australian Council of State School Organisations (Parents and Citizens Associations), Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA), the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER) and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). |
