TORONTO, May 29, 2012 – With Canadian children receiving an "F" grade on active play and leisure according to the latest report card from Active Healthy Kids Canada, York University's School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health is at the forefront of providing community-based solutions to the problem of inactive kids by providing a new program called "Kine Kids" that goes beyond typical sport and recreation programs.
Angelo Belcastro, chair of York's School of Kinesiology & Health Science, developed the "Kine Kids" program in conjunction with colleagues at the University of New Brunswick, which provides guided active play for children who are not accustomed to activity and are often overweight, obese or have chronic diseases such as diabetes. The program is unique because it addresses more than the physical component of providing kids with opportunities for exercise through play; it also addresses issues of low self-esteem -- which is a major factor that inhibits many kids from joining sport or recreational activities -- with a positive role model, non-punitive approach to positively change behaviour. The program also focuses on developing kids' social skills.
"York University is on the ground developing community-based solutions to the problem of inactive kids by providing fun, accessible guided active play," says Belcastro, who is also the President-elect of the Canadian Council of University Physical Education Kinesiology Administrators (CCUPEKA).
Currently, little work is being done with empirical data to address the problem, whereas "Kine Kids" has addressed this gap through data from a host of measures including testing BMI, percentage of body fat, waist circumference, aerobic power, blood pressure and heart rate that will provide a report of student health to help raise awareness among program providers and parents to assist in designing programs to better meet the needs of children who are inactive.
York is working on a plan to provide a protocol or module for a guided active play delivery mechanism for schools and community centres to use nationally. The program can be tailored to meet the different needs of different communities. The program was piloted last summer at the Keele Street campus of York University in conjunction with the York Youth Connection summer camp for kids; program coordinators are looking at a community-based pilot at the Driftwood Community Centre in the Jane-Finch community this summer. They are also in discussions to expand the program into after-school programs in two schools in York Region for this fall and winter. The children are typically between the ages of six to twelve. The long term goal is to develop a national databank of objective, empirical data on effective, guided active play that planners, practitioners and policy makers can use.
Professor Belcastro is available for media interviews.
York University is a leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto – Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 55,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 250,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
-30-
Media contacts:
Joanne Rider
Media Relations, York University
(416) 736-2100 ext. 55593
Frank Clarke
Faculty of Health, York University
(416) 736-2100 ext. 21072
