Medical X-Press – Staff Writer
“If Canadian parents are going to get their kids to exercise more, they need more than just public awareness campaigns. Parents exposed to one such national campaign were actually less confident they could increase their children’s activity levels, according to a recent UBC study. “With statistics outside this study showing 88 per cent of parents believe their children exercise enough and only seven per cent of kids meet recommended guidelines, it is clear more needs to be done,” says Heather Gainforth, an assistant professor of health and exercise sciences at UBC’s Okanagan campus. “While mass media campaigns appear to increase awareness, parents need the support of public policies and programs to help them successfully encourage behaviour change. “Without that support, parents may not have the tools they need to help their kids become more active.” As part of her study, Gainforth surveyed 700 parents of children aged 5 to 17 across Canada three months after ParticipACTION’s 2011 “Think Again” campaign aired, and another 700 parents 15 months after.”(more)