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5 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,D ecem ber 26,2019 insidehalton.com Obesity in Halton's chil- dren is on the rise. A regionwide kinder- garten parent survey con- ducted by the Our Kids Network reveals that 32 per cent of Halton kindergar- teners are considered over- weight or obese, compared to 21 per cent a decade ago. So why is this number climbing? According to Halton Re- gion's experts, there are a variety of reasons. "Obesity is multifaceted in terms of the risk factors involved. It's not just about physical activity," said Hal- ton medical officer of health Dr. Hamidah Megh- ani. "The health of our chil- dren really starts at the be- ginning, from conception onwards." Factors such as breast- feeding for as long as possi- ble and healthy eating hab- its are critical components in a child's overall health, she said. A proper diet for chil- dren truly is key, echoed Jason Fournier, a fitness advocate and owner of Lo- cal Motion Fitness in Hal- ton Hills. "The survey results don't surprise me. Portion sizes have become huge," he said. "We don't teach cooking to kids anymore, at home or at school. Pro- cessed food is now consid- ered acceptable. For mil- lennia, humans never needed snacks, but now schools literally require it." While physical activity is the core of his business, Fournier said exercise sim- ANALYSIS GROWING NUMBER OF HALTON CHILDREN CONSIDERED OBESE MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com A lack of outdoor, unstructured playtime is a contributing factor to childhood obesity, says Halton health officials. Metro Creative Graphic photo See KIDS, page 7 BOXING DAY SALE ALLAPPLIANCES ONSALE OVER 1400 APPLIANCES TOCHOOSE FROM! *LimitedStock,FloorStockandUncratedStock.FirstCome,FirstServed OntarioresidentsareeligiblefortheEnergySavingsRebate ProgramonselectEnergyStarproductswithinstantin-store rebate.SeeIn-StoreSalesAssociateforDetails. Forthewayit'smade. StartsDecember27/2019 SAVE SAVE •StainlessSteel Washerdrum 476KERRST.,OAKVILLE(JUSTSOUTHOFSPEERSRD) 905-845-2933www.oakvilleappliance.com StoreclosedfromDecember24to December26.OpenDec.27@9a.m. Panasonic MICROWAVES ONSALE ALL APPLIANCES 25%off 25%off 25%off 25%offSAVE