Australia’s ‘unacceptable crisis’ that cannot go on

Worldwide, Australia ranks 140th out of 146th for sedentary behaviours in 11-17 year old’s.

Only one in 10 Australian children meet the minimum daily requirement of 60 minutes of physical activity.

And more than 70 per cent of 5-17 year old’s are exceeding recommended screen time limits.

Peter Parker, CEO of the Bluearth Foundation, a charity behind a unique face-to-face schools exercise program founded 20 years ago, said Australia risked creating a generation of children disconnected from their families and community.

“We are an outdoor country, we live in paradise, but what we are finding is that children are isolating themselves through technology; they’ve got the resources to do it being a wealthy country,” Mr Parker, an osteopath of 26 years and father of three, said.

“What we are finding is that we are producing a generation that won’t have the reflective peace that I had as a child, so when they role model or parent one day the way they do so will be very different. The definition of normal that we speak to will be lost. This is why it is a completely unacceptable crisis that cannot go on.”

The Bluearth Foundation’s free physical activity program — which differs to regular PE classes in schools — aims to “inspire and empower young people and all Australians to identify with the love and joy of movement.”

More than 400,000 students from more than 20 per cent of schools nationally have participated.

Mr Parker is urging schools and families to get behind the Bluearth approach with applications open to all schools.

“The typical Australian will say that my kids are playing sport and that’s fantastic but when they are not playing sport they are incredibly idle,” Mr Parker said.

Bluearth’s ambassador and race walker Jemima Montag, who is training for the Tokyo Olympics, said traditional PE classes were lacking, due to resourcing, funding and de-prioritisation in a crowded curriculum – and girls especially were suffering.

“What I love about the Bluearth approach is that it complements and enhances the Health & Physical Education curriculum,” the 23-year-old told News Corp.

“My experience of PE at school was really focused on learning how to play different sports but I think it is lacking in a few areas and it is leaving many students feeling ashamed of their lack of skill. They are left physically illiterate.”

Mr Parker said solving the inactivity crisis required a systems-based approach, with collaboration between the sport, health and education sectors.

TAKING DEMENTIA INTO THE CLASSROOM

On a cold Tuesday morning in Melbourne, young and old meet inside the One Community Church in Blackburn.

The Grade 5 students and seniors — carers and their loved ones with dementia — settle down for a cuppa and morning tea before interacting with some exercise and games.

The warm scene unfolds as part of an innovative program developed by Umbrella Dementia Cafes, a network of social groups for families and people living with dementia.

This year the network teamed up with Bluearth to take dementia beyond the case and into the classroom, teaching students from Blackburn Primary School about brain health and the benefits of an active lifestyle before attending the cafes and connecting with movement.

“When the students are here and actively socialising with people experiencing dementia, they don’t see the disease, they see the person,” Umbrella Dementia Cafes CEO Kirsty Porter told News Corp.

“At the same time, the person with dementia feels entirely comfortable to communicate and connect with children through light game play and easy conversation.

“Our aged care workforce is decreasing at an alarming rate. These Grade 5 students will be a part of our workforce in 10 years.

“If we can inspire just one child, through the pure joy of social connectedness with a person living with dementia, to good and innovate change or improvement in our aged care industry, then we have won today. We have kicked a major societal goal.”

The network operates in Victoria but plans to expand nationally. However, it is dependent on the support of local communities and philanthropic partners.

AUSSIES LOOKS TO EAT BETTER

Australians are leaning towards more healthy food options.

Taste.com.au data shows ‘low-calorie recipes’ was one of the fastest-growing search terms in April 2021.

In the same month, vegetarian dinner, Keto, vegan and healthy snacks rose in searches.

“We’re definitely seeing a shift towards more healthy recipe choices as the country emerges from the shadows of COVID restrictions and lockdowns,” Laura Simpson, digital director of Taste and Australia’s Best Recipes, said.

“It’s clear people are motivated to eat healthier meals and they’re now coming to sites like Taste to give them the tools and inspiration they need to get started.”

The data followed a survey in July which found Australians were making healthier dinner choices.

When asked to compare their dinner choices to five years ago, Taste’s Dinner Decoder survey of more than 6000 people found most home cooks felt more satisfied (34 per cent), confident (32 per cent), motivated (27 per cent) and happy (27 per cent) planning what to cook for dinner.

The survey found in a typical week, most dinners were home-cooked, followed by takeout, eating out, leftovers or home delivery.

Half of all Australian households catered for special dietary needs, with low calorie the most common (23 per cent), followed by vegetarian (18 per cent), gluten free (9 per cent) and diabetes friendly (10 per cent).

Other findings included more than half (52 per cent) of Australians wanting to cook more dinners from scratch.

But feeling tired (63 per cent) and lack of time (35 per cent) got in the way of food preparation.

Find out more at the Bluearth Foundation and the Umbrella Dementia Cafes.