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Nestlé bats for active lifestyles in children

Published:Tuesday | February 2, 2016 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
Contributed
The team from El Instituto de Mandevilla, in Mandeville, Manchester pose with the championship trophy and representatives of Nestlé- Annalee Gray - Nestlé’'s nutritionist and Shawna Kidd- Nestlé’'s corporate communications and consumer services manager.

Nestlé Healthy Kids has forged a partnership with the Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA) in an attempt to promote physical activity among children six to 12 years old.

According to Shawna Kidd, corporate communications and consumer services manager at Nestlé Jamaica, the marriage with the JBA is a good one as it provides a platform to promote a healthy and active lifestyle to children through nutrition education and sports.

"We hope that our messages and activities on healthy lifestyles and good nutrition will have a positive impact in the nutritional development of our children today, so that they become healthy adults tomorrow," Kidd said.

Kidd indicated that obesity is a growing public health concern affecting children in Jamaica and as the global leader in nutrition, health and wellness, Nestlé Jamaica welcomes the responsibility of nurturing young minds and encouraging physical activity in their everyday lives.

 

Partnership

 

"This is why we have partnered with the JBA, to promote badminton as a grass-root sport; touching the lives of primary- level students across Jamaica.

The sponsorship seeks to support the execution of six shuttle time 'teach the trainers' events to be held in cluster groups," she said.

The Nestlé sponsorship further boosted the programme with the first-of-its-kind Nestlé Healthy Kids Preparatory and Primary Schools' Championship which was held on February 6.

Nestlé Healthy Kids aims to raise awareness about nutrition, health and wellness among school-age children through balanced diets, healthy hydration, greater physical activity and other key health measures such as hygiene and rest.

The programme was implemented in Jamaica in 2010 and is endorsed by the Ministry of Education and supported by the College of Health Sciences at the University of Technology, Jamaica.

Since its inception, it has touched the lives of more than 7,500 children, their teachers and parents through educational materials, teacher- training seminars, training programmes in schools, and now through physical activity with badminton.