The importance of children's health and wellbeing

'It is health that is real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver'

- Mahatma Gandhi

In relation to Donaldson (2015) 'Successful Futures', he has implemented 4 purposes of the Welsh Curriculum that children and young people should develop into during their time in primary education. These four purposes are as followed:

1. Ambitious, capable learners - ready to learn throughout their lives.


2. Enterprising, creative contributors - ready to play a full part in the life and work.


3. Healthy, confident individuals - ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.


4. Ethical, informed citizens - ready to be citizens of Wales and the world. 

In today's blog post, I will be focusing on the third of the four purposes 'Healthy, confident individuals' and discussing the importance of the health and wellbeing of children. Early childhood settings play an important role in promoting health and a feeling of wellbeing for children, their families and ultimately their communities (Hayden & Macdonald, 2000). Therefore, health and wellbeing should not only be promoted at home by parents, but also by teachers in classroom environments. 

Donaldson (2015) breaks down in his 'Successful Futures' proposal what 'healthy, confident individuals' should display:

• Apply knowledge about the impact of diet and exercise on physical and mental health in their daily lives
  
  
• Know information and support to keep safe and well
  
  
• Take part in physical activity
  


• Take measured decisions about lifestyle and manage risk
  


• Have the confidence to participate in performance (Donaldson, 2015, p. 30)
  
  

The Welsh curriculum is no longer being taught in silo subjects, but as areas of learning which includes health and wellbeing, instead of being known as  just physical education. Health and wellbeing now draws on subjects and themes that include mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, sex and relationships, parenting, healthy eating and cooking, and substance misuse. Donaldson (2015) was concerned on how a schooling environment is supporting children and young people's 'social, emotional, spiritual and physical health and wellbeing'. These subjects and themes are all important in modern-day society, and should be taught to children in the classroom so they are more aware and have a better understanding on how to look after themselves. 

Early childhood obesity is a serious global health concern with an estimated 42 million children under five from developed and developing countries considered overweight (World Health Organization 2010). In Wales alone, over a quarter of five year old children have an unhealthy body mass index (NHS, 2014). Childhood obesity carries physical and psychosocial risks including type II diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, asthma, sleep disturbance, joint and bone disorders, social rejection and low self-esteem (Dehghan et al. 2005). Ogden et al. (2008) suggested overweight children are at a high risk of carrying on unhealthy eating habits by becoming overweight or obese during adulthood.

It is important for children to take part in regular physical activity during their time in primary and secondary school. This will allow them to keep active and looking after themselves,  both physically and mentally. NHS (2018) have a guideline for 5-to-18 year olds on how much exercise they should undertake, in order to maintain their health. It is recommended for children and young people aged 5-18 to do:

• at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day – this should range from moderate activity, such as cycling and playground activities, to vigorous activity, such as running and tennis;
• on 3 days a week, these activities should involve exercises for strong muscles and bones, such as swinging on playground equipment, hopping and skipping, and sports such as gymnastics or tennis (NHS, 2018).

Children should be learning how to have and keep a well-balanced, healthy diet as well as exercising. For recent years, 'The Eatwell Plate' is used throughout schools to allow children to learn how much from each food group should be eaten and understand what a balanced diet is. It was used when I was in primary school and I feel it is a useful tool to allow young children to understand about healthy eating. Young children acquire their health knowledge through direct instruction, modelling and experiences with their environment (Lanigan, 2011). Being modelled of how children are able to eat more healthily in schools, they can take the knowledge they learn home with them, which can enable their parents or guardians, as well as the children on how to have a better understanding what a more balanced diet can entail and how much of each food group should be consumed each day.

With physical health being an important factor on the health and wellbeing of children, mental health and emotional wellbeing is just as important. According to the Department of Health (2015), "75% of adults experience mental health issues before the age of 18". There are many contributing factors including bullying, problems at home and even social media. Social media has become hugely popular in recent years, with more younger children using social networking websites or apps such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Whereas they allow children to interact with friends, post pictures and update everyone with their everyday lives, it comes with potential risks, which can affect a child's mental health.  An article written by UKCCIS states the possible things children could see or do when on social media:

• Seeing or sharing of violent, sexual and pornographic content 
• Inaccurate or false information and extreme views 
• Promotion of harmful behaviours including self-harm, anorexia and suicide 
• Over-sharing of personal information 
• Actively or unintentionally getting involved in bullying or hurtful behaviour (UKCCIS, 2015)

These possible risks can lead to children have a fear of missing out leading to excessive use or exaggeration, getting upset by things they have seen and being uncertain about what to do, engaging or feeling pressured into engaging in more risky behaviour either by accident or by design, developing unrealistic, and perhaps depressing ideals of body image and gender, becoming subject to peer pressure or interactions that are intense or too difficult to handle or creating an online reputation that may create problems for them in the future (UKCCIS, 2015). Despite the risks that come with children being 'exposed' on social media, as parents and teachers, children need to be educated on how to be safe on social media and to realise it is different from the real world, as people online can portray their life to be different to what it actually is. Teaching children about these subjects can affect their mental health and emotional wellbeing in a positive way, so they are able to have a better understanding of what potential risks are out there  in relation to social media. Also, children should be taught about being open with how they are feeling, to allow them to have an outlet to talk to someone they are able to confide in and talk to, whether that is a parent, teacher, school counsellor etc. 

In conclusion, I feel the children's health and wellbeing is significant and important in how they develop holistically, as the physical and mental health of a child is what shapes them in becoming better humans. By Donaldson (2015) implementing not just physical education, but health and wellbeing as a whole into the Welsh curriculum, it allows children to have a better understanding of what will enable them to become healthy, confident individuals in the future. 

References:

Dehghan, M., Akhtar-Danesh, N. & Merchant, A. T. (2005) Childhood obesity, prevalence and prevention. Nutrition Journal, 4, 24–32.

Department of Health (2015)., Future in mind: Promoting, protecting and improving our children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing., Retrieved: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/414024/Childrens_Mental_Health.pdf

Donaldson, G. (2015) Successful Futures: Independent review of curriculum and assessment arrangements in Wales., Retrieved: http://gov.wales/docs/dcells/publications/150225-successful-Futures-en.pdf 

Hayden, J., & Macdonald, J. J. (2000). Health promotion: A new leadership role for early childhood professionals. Health promotion: A new leadership role for early childhood professionals. Australian Journal of Early Childhood , 25(1), 32–39.

Lanigan, J. D. (2011) ‘The substance and sources of young children’s healthy eating and physical activity knowledge: implications for obesity prevention efforts’, Child: Care, Health & Development, 37(3), pp. 368–376. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01191.x.

NHS (2018)., Physical activity guidelines for children and young people. Retrieved: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-children-and-young-people/

Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D. & Flegal, K. M. (2008) High body mass index for age among US children and adolescents, 2003–2006. JAMA, 299, 2401–2405.

UKCCIS (2015)., Child Safety Online: A practical guide for parents and carers whose children are using social media. Retrieved: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/490001/Social_Media_Guidance_UKCCIS_Final_18122015.pdf.pdf

World Health Organization (2010) Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health. Available at: http://www.who.int/ dietphysicalactivity/childhood/en/ (accessed from 17 May 2010).

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