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Over 200 schools participate in EatSmart School Accreditation Scheme (with photos)
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     The EatSmart School Accreditation Scheme (ESAS), jointly organised by the Department of Health (DH) and the Education Bureau (EDB), has received widespread support from the education sector. Both the number of schools participating in the ESAS and those achieving accreditation as an EatSmart School have kept rising.

     The Head of the Surveillance and Epidemiology Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the DH, Dr Regina Ching, said at the EatSmart School Accreditation Ceremony cum Principal Summit for Primary Schools 2013 today (July 3) that a total of 212 primary schools, accounting for over one-third of all primary schools in Hong Kong, have enrolled in the ESAS, and that 86 of them have attained accreditation, representing over 40 per cent of those enrolled. Of all accredited schools, 64 have achieved the highest honour of becoming an EatSmart School.

     "The ESAS has made outstanding achievements and has been well received and recognised by the education sector. This is largely attributed to home-school co-operation as well as support given by lunch and snack suppliers. I would like to take this opportunity to convey my heartfelt thanks to our partners," Dr Ching said.

     Dr Ching said that the DH has been striving to improve the health of the community. The ESAS is part of the DH's continuous efforts to promote health under the strategic framework on prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. Helping students cultivate healthy eating habits via the school setting can prevent obesity and many chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer and others. Healthier students make better students.

     Launched in the primary school setting in the school year 2009-10, the ESAS received a Special Recognition Award from the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) as a contribution to the scaling-up of healthy cities in October 2012.

     According to the accreditation criteria of the ESAS, participating schools have to demonstrate commitment in continuously implementing administrative measures, providing healthy lunches and snacks, and organising educational programmes and publicity events to safeguard a nutrition-friendly school environment for children. Hence, all accredited schools are exemplars of the school sector.

     Dr Ching expressed gratitude to all participating schools and the EDB for their support for and contribution to the provision of a learning environment that helps schoolchildren get into the habit of healthy eating. According to the latest figures from the DH, the obesity rate among primary students is on a continuous downward trend. In the school year 2011-12, the obesity rate among primary students dropped to 20.9 per cent, while the corresponding rates in the previous school years were 22.2 per cent in 2009-10 and 21.4 per cent in 2010-11.

     Also officiating at the EatSmart School Accreditation Ceremony was the Deputy Secretary for Education, Dr Catherine K K Chan. She said that besides co-organising the EatSmart@school.hk Campaign with the DH, the EDB had aligned with the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health suggested by the WHO to encourage students to develop a healthier eating habit. Since the Education Reform in 2001, "Developing A Healthy Lifestyle" has been one of the seven learning goals set out by the Curriculum Development Council. The EDB has suggested that schools should adopt a holistic curriculum covering interconnected components of knowledge, skills, values and attitudes, together with life-wide learning activities in order to promote whole-person development as well as to help students live a healthy lifestyle. As revealed in the implementation of curriculum among schools in general, a wide range of learning and teaching strategies have been adopted and varied learning activities and materials have also been provided to assist students in forming healthy eating habits.

     The EatSmart School Accreditation Ceremony was followed by the Principal Summit for Primary Schools 2013, which provided a platform for schools to share views and exchange experience in promoting healthy eating in schools in the short and medium term.

     The theme of the summit this year was "Pervasive Impact of Food Marketing on Children". About 150 representatives from the school sector, along with Professor Annisa Lee (Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong), representatives from the Committee on Home-School Co-operation, and officials from the DH and the EDB participated in the panel discussion to exchange views on the relationship between food marketing and children's diet.

     More information on the ESAS is available at the DH's thematic website of the EatSmart@school.hk Campaign (school.eatsmart.gov.hk).

Ends/Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:46

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