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27 Friday , Septem ber 17, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m Struttin the Glitz, Cinderellas Charity Gala Fashion Show will be held in Bronte Oct. 1. The fundraising event is being dedicated to the psychological well being for the Children of The Halton Womens Place. Local resident Gayle Gordon is the founder and chair of the show that will feature fashions for men, women, children and teens. Sharon Caddy, host and pro- ducer of Real Life on cts (www.ctstv.com) will be the emcee for the event. The show is set for Friday, Oct. 1 at the Bronte Harbour Conference Centre located at 2340 Ontario St. It will begin with a cocktail reception at 7 p.m. Show time is 8 p.m. There will be an opening per- formance by the Annex Dance Academy, hors d'oeuvres, luge bar, desserts and warm bever- ages. Live entertainment will include Blake McGrath and Diane Lee Clemons. There will also be live and silent auctions, door prizes, a cash bar, martini bar and flare bar. Tickets cost $150 each or group tables of 10 are available at $1,350. Tickets at celebrity tables are $300 each and are available in lim- ited quantity upon request. Choice of celebrity is not avail- able. For more information, contact struttintheglitz@gmail.com or visit www.gaylegordon.com. Inaugural Cinderellas Charity Gala all for the kids By Christina Commisso METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Swapping video games for base- ball bats is an idea one regional councillor offered to help curb obesity rates amongst Haltons youth, which according to a recent report are on the rise. You dont see a lot of kids out there playing soccer or baseball, said Halton Hills Councillor Clark Somerville. When its too warm they stay inside and play video games all day. Staff unveiled the findings of the 2009/2010 Halton Youth Survey, which showed changes in obesity and drinking, smoking and cannabis use rates, during a recent Halton Region Health and Social Services Committee meeting. The survey was conducted by the Our Kids Network as part of a three- year cycle of data collection. The first cycle of the survey, examining Haltons Grade 7 and 10 students, was completed in 2006. According to the survey, youths body mass index has increased since the first survey. The percentage of overweight or obese Grade 7 students rose from 14 per cent in 2006 to 16 per cent in 2009. For Grade 10 stu- dents, that percentage increased from 20 to 22 per cent during the three- year span. This is what is consistent with what were seeing across the coun- ty, said Dr. Bob Nosal, the regions medical officer of health. We have launched the healthy weight strate- gy, it has been over last two to three years. One could look at this and say youve launched the healthy weight strategy and the rate is going up, but it tells you how complex the issue is and also the amount of intensive resources that its going to require. The survey showed the percent- age of students who were physically active for more than 90 minutes a day, five or more days a week, has dropped from 58 to 54 per cent among Grade 7 students, and from 44 to 39 per cent for Grade 10s. The decrease in physical activity could be influenced by Halton stu- dents proximity to school, with the number of students who live within walking distance to school down from 2006. In 1971, 85 per cent of youth rode their bikes or walked to school, now its 15 per cent, said Burlington Councillor Rick Goldring. The fact you have to encourage people to walk to school, its stagger- ing. The 2009 survey included a new question about school transportation. The results showed that 41 per cent of Grade 7s and 48 per cent of Grade 10s never walk, bike or rollerblade to school. Pointing to the regions Sustainable Halton plan, Nosal said, When youre looking at healthy community design, the whole issue is your (ecological) footprint, with transportation and cars versus walk- ing and bicycling. All the issues we know are going to make a difference either have not had time to act yet. Were talking about five, 10, 15 and in the case of Sustainable Halton, 20-year plans to try and deal with this particular issue. More and more time is being spent on healthy community concepts and the design of communities. Burlington Councillor Carol DAmelio said the rise in youth obesi- ty rates could be influenced by com- munity safety concerns. A lot of this stems from the fact that parents are afraid to have their children outside. And thats unfortu- nate in a region thats the safest region in the country, she said. If we have more people on public transit and out on the street with their eyes out there, they protect each other. Despite the rise in overweight and obesity rates, the survey wasnt all bad news for the regions youth. Alcohol use, including binge drinking, has declined since 2006. The latest survey showed a six per cent drop in alcohol use amongst Grade 7 students, which sits at 17 per cent and an eight per cent drop amongst Grade 10s, with 62 per cent having at least one drink in the last 12 months. The number of students who have ever tried a cigarette has dropped in both age categories, but the number of current smokers has remained the same with one per cent of Grade 7s and 13 per cent of Grade 10s smoking regularly. Cannabis use amongst youths has remained consistent over the three- year period a finding that has some councillors concerned. Its an absolutely scary statistic, said Oakville Councillor Jeff Knoll of the two per cent of Grade 7s and 25 per cent of Grade 10s who use cannabis. From what my under- standing is, some people dont think smoking marijuana is a problem, they think its fine, its not like drinking, its not like smoking cigarettes, its not like speeding. Theres no repercus- sion, he said. Nosal said the health department will be presenting a report about cannabis use to council in November. He compared marijuana use to cigarette use in the region two decades ago, when Nosal began work- ing in Halton. Youth smoking rate at that point was approaching 30 per cent, the feel- ing was what we are going to do about it. He said through provincial and local programs, the regional smoking rate decreased, explaining that two big reasons tobacco use came down was the rising cost of cigarettes and legis- lation, including no smoking bylaws. Similarly with marijuana its not in the same group as tobacco but some of those rules apply. Youth obesity rates are on the way up OAKVILLE BEAVER FILE PHOTO STAYING OFF THE COUCH: These young people spend some time at a local skate park. One could look at this and say youve launched the healthy weight strategy and the rate is going up, but it tells you how complex the issue is and also the amount of intensive resources that its going to require. Dr. Bob Nosal, Medical Officer of Health, Halton Region Councillor Jeff KnollDr. Bob Nosal