Healthy Lifestyle Programme for Kids and Teens
A pioneering healthy lifestyle programme for kids and teens with obesity called Whānau Pakari has resulted in physical and emotional health gains across a group tracked for 12 months, a new study shows.
Whānau Pakari means “Healthy self-assured families that are fully active”. The unique programme for 5-16 year olds, offered only in Taranaki, was designed to take healthcare out of hospitals and into people’s homes and communities.
“It was evident the best way to address weight issues in young people was to de-medicalise what is a very personal condition, and design a new kind of service that removes the stigma and judgement around obesity. It was important to us that the service involves the whole family/whānau,” says Dr Yvonne Anderson, Liggins Institute researcher, Taranaki DHB paediatrician and lead author of the study. Pioneering healthy lifestyle programme | Scoop News