According to a local doctor, the Super Kids CK initiative is "revolutionary" and needed in a municipality that struggles with obesity and chronic disease.
Chatham-Kent was one of 45 communities to participate in the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care's Healthy Kids Community Challenge. The Challenge began in August 2015 and wrapped up in September 2018. Super Kids CK focused on getting children more active, eating more fruits and vegetables, and substituting sugar-based drinks with water.
A presentation of Super Kids CK was made at the Chatham-Kent Board of Health in Chatham Wednesday morning. Program coordinator Annie Lukacsovics said on top of the municipality having higher than average rates of chronic disease, 61 per cent of adults in CK and 41 per cent of children are considered obese or overweight.
"We didn't really focus on the specific statistics for this program," Lukacsovics said. "We really wanted to focus on healthy kids. A child making a change at any weight becomes a healthier child. This is the ultimate reason why we became a part of the program."
While funding from the provincial government has ended and the challenge is technically over, Lukacsovics hoped to continue educating kids to change their eating and activity habits.
"If community partners, like we're lucky to have, continue some of these projects and continue the focus, it's definitely possible," Lukacsovics said. "We have already seen short-term outcomes. More kids are participating in programs, we have more school's involved in Club Veggies and Fruit, and more training for physical literacy."
Lukacsovics said this generation of kids has to grow into adults before the long-term outcomes are known and if obesity numbers go down. It could take longer for the chronic disease results.
Dr. David Colby, medical officer of health for Chatham-Kent, said the program is revolutionary in the sense that the long-term outcome can't be measured yet.
"There is evidence that suggests that kids who adopt healthy lifestyles will maintain those lifestyles into adulthood and be healthy adults," Dr. Colby said. "Chatham-Kent does not have good figures with regard to its chronic disease burden in adults. It's been very difficult to get our adult population to change their lifestyles."
Dr. Colby said the key is to build these healthy habits at a young age before people "get set in their ways." He added while it seems this generation might need it the most due to all the screen time, it really isn't much different than the "T.V. generation."
"They said the same thing about that generation in the late '50s and early '60s, so this is nothing new, it's just the latest manifestation of that," Dr. Colby said.
The doctor added obesity needs to be treated like smoking, in that it's easier to prevent people from starting than it is to get them to quit.
"It is better to say 'you know what kids, this is not cool and it's not good,'" Dr. Colby said. "Don't start that nonsense and you won't have to go through the difficulties of quitting."
Though Dr. Colby was disappointed the funding has ended for Super Kids CK, he believes its message and certain aspects of the program will live on in the municipality. He said without funding it will be difficult, but not impossible.
Lukacsovics said members of Super Kids CK got together and wrote a poem about the program. They then got four kids to recite it in a YouTube video made for the group's website.