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5 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,D ecem ber 26,2019 theifp.ca Creating great smiles New Patients Welcome Family and Cosmetic Dentistry marketplace Dental Centre Georgetown Marketplace Mall 905-877-CARE (2273) • www.georgetowndental.com HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 8:00pm • Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm • Saturday 8:00am - 3:00pm Proudly Serving Georgetown Since 1994. New OptOmetry Office in DOwntOwn GeOrGetOwn Dr. Ben Giddens Dr. Andrea Kozma Dr. Stephanie Britton has opened a 2nd location at the mill Street medical centre. DOwntOwn GeOrGetOwn 83 mill St | 905 873 1867 metrO plaza 371 mountainview rd S | 905 873 1861 family eye care ServiceS Day, Evening and Saturday Hours | Same day appointments for urgent eye care. Please phone. GIDDENS OPTOMETRY mans never needed snacks, but now schools literally require it." While physical activi- ty is the core of his busi- ness, Fournier said exer- cise simply isn't enough anymore, to the point where his fitness studio has added a program that teaches people to make meals again and eat prop- erly. "The old adage that you can't out-exercise a bad diet is truer than ev- er," he said. On the exercise front, the kindergarten parent survey indicates that on- ly 39 per cent of Halton children meet the recom- mended amount of 60 minutes of physical activ- ity per day. However, 94 per cent of kindergarten parents say that their kids attended recreation- al programs in the past 12 months. It appears that a lack of programming isn't the is- sue - but rather a deficit in outdoor, unstructured playtime where children have the opportunity to take risks, surmises a re- cent report from Halton commissioner of social and community services Alex Sarchuk. "Play involving uncer- tainty and risk is associ- ated with increases in vigorous physical activi- ty and improved motor skill," he wrote. "However, kindergar- ten parent survey results suggest Halton parents and caregivers are reluc- tant to permit children to take risks in their physi- cal play. For example, on- ly half of parents believe children should engage in 'rough and tumble' play by age four." But letting children outside for this type of play isn't as simple as it sounds. Just ask any par- ent living in today's hy- pervigilant society where mothers and fathers are scrutinized more than ev- er, like Lisa Kearns, a mother of two and city councillor in Burlington. "There's no way I'm let- ting my six-year-old out on the street, because it's actually shamed," she said. "We need to reset those social expectations because I tell my kid that the 'mom police' will come and get me if I let you run down the road." Kearns said she would love to see society revert back to an 1980s-style ap- proach to parenting, when letting children play freely outside was encouraged and neigh- bouring families support- ed each other. "It continues to take a village to raise a child," she said. "We need that village approach again." Indeed, it would ap- pear that parents are feel- ing disconnected from other families in their ar- ea, with only 23 per cent reporting high levels of neighbourhood cohesion in the kindergarten par- ent survey, down from 28 per cent in 2012. Sarchuk said that even lower levels of connected- ness were reported among families with low incomes. So what can be done? To start, Kearns sug- gested an increased focus on things like neighbour- hood parties to break down barriers, along with the use of Halton Region's social media platforms to promote a 'new norm' that makes it acceptable for children to go outside on their own and play. Meghani said the health department is tak- ing a multifaceted ap- proach to address child- hood obesity, starting with working alongside doctors and hospitals on improving exclusive breastfeeding rates. Halton health officials also target neighbour- hoods where vulnerabili- ties have been identified to support community programs, child care cen- tres, etc. with messaging that stresses the impor- tance of healthy eating and physical activity for children. For further details on Halton's health initia- tives, visit halton.ca/For- Residents/Public-Health ANALYSIS Continued from page 4 "The survey results don't surprise me. Portion sizes have become huge," "We don't teach cooking to kids anymore, at home or at school. Processed food is now considered acceptable. For millennia, humans never needed snacks, but now schools literally require it." - Jason Fournier, owner of Local Motion Fitness in Halton Hills STORY BEHIND THE STORY We examined the results of the recent Halton kindergarten parent survey and dug into the timely and concerning issue of childhood obesity.