Pharmacists target children in “get fit” campaign
Children received a free health toy as part of the campaign |
Pharmacists in Suffolk have been offering advice to families as part of a campaign to improve the health of children.
The two-week “Getting Suffolk fit for the future” project,
which ran to the end of this week, involved young people aged five to
17 years being weighed and measured at pharmacies in the area. Pharmacists
from 65 pharmacies provided information to parents and guardians about
how to incorporate small changes in diet and activity into the family
routines.
Sheila Baldwin, a senior pharmacist at Suffolk Primary Care Trust, told
The Journal that the PCT wanted to raise awareness of the health problems
of young people remaining overweight later in life.
“We also wanted to raise the profile of pharmacy in the community.
Pharmacy is an underused part of the primary health care team,” she
said. Ms Baldwin described the scheme as a sensible way to reach people
to
promote healthy lifestyles.
Paul Heeks, one of the pharmacists taking part in a Boots store in Stowmarket,
said that the response from most people had been positive.
“It is good that pharmacists are seen to be interested in people’s
health,” he told The Journal. “In the future we want these
children to be fit and healthy adults rather than a cost to the NHS.”
Information packs, which contain practical tips for parents — for
example, how to incorporate healthy snacks into school lunch boxes — have
been well received, Mr Heeks added.
Children can choose between a free ball, flying disk, hula hoop or skipping
rope after they have been measured. Children found to be overweight are
referred to appropriate services offered by the PCT.
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