Over weight adolescents to participate in an Australian-first project
27 Oct 2008 | Bernie Goldie
More than 40 volunteers from Sydney’s west are being sought to participate in one of the first physical activity-based programs designed for obese adolescents in Australia.
The program is entitled the Western Sydney Adolescent Sports and Physical Activity Program (WASPA) and will begin in early February next year.
It will be delivered by trained physical activity professionals who have expertise in working with adolescents and by Accredited Practising Dietitians.
The Director of UOW’s Child Obesity Research Centre in the Faculty of Education, Dr Tony Okely, said the program follows the success of a pilot project undertaken by Exercise Physiologist Elizabeth Vukovich in 2006, which showed that participants were able to significantly prevent unhealthy weight gain and improve their cardiovascular fitness.
Dr Okely said the program was being run in conjunction with the Fairfield City Council through their Community Leisure Centre in Fairfield.
“We are looking for adolescents in the 12-16 years age group to participate in two separate programs, in after school hours,” Dr Okely said.
Both the programs are for six months’duration. The volunteers will be randomly placed in either – (1) the WASPA physical activity program, or (2) a state-of-the-art health information program.
He said participants would gain free usage of the Fairfield Community Leisure Centre gymnasium along with a free assessment of their overall health and blood profile levels. Participants in the WASPA Program would need to attend every Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for school terms 1 and 2 while those in the health information program would need to attend an information session every month.
Dr Okely said the participants and their parents would receive expert advice on good eating habits and learn various fun exercise and physical activity skills that will put them on the path to lifelong physical activity and diet patterns.
Parents who wish to include their adolescent in the project should contact Elizabeth Vukovich on the following number: 0401 607 439.
Media wishing to obtain further information should contact Dr Tony Okely on (02) 4221 4641 or on 0425 227 616 (m).
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