ContentsFuelling little athletes

Great Aussie Crunch

Temperature and UV radiation

Promoting health at athletics carnivals

O’Connor Primary School case study

Tobacco in schools

Developing a school drug education plan

Daffodil Day 2016

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Sports carnivals offer a great opportunity to promote the health benefits of physical activity to your students. Schools are also well placed to help students to get the most out of their athletics carnival by promoting good nutrition before, during and after the event.

Eating the right fuel on the day of the sports carnival helps children to maintain energy and concentration and promotes quicker recovery after exercise. However children need to eat well every day – not just on the day of the athletics carnival! Eating a nutritious diet everyday supports healthy growth, development and immune function and therefore is essential in achieving optimal performance at any one athletic event.

With junk food companies like McDonalds and Coca-Cola sponsoring major sporting events like the Olympics and grass roots junior sporting programs, children can get the wrong idea about the kinds of foods they should eat when playing sport. Make students, school staff and parents aware that the road to sporting success is paved with healthy food, not Happy Meals.

Breakfast of championsAll children, especially those participating in sport, should start their day with a nutritious breakfast. Breakfast provides young athletes with a source of carbohydrate, protein and other nutrients. Protein is used for the growth and repair of muscle tissues. Carbohydrates are the fuel of choice for the body and brain, powering muscles for activity and helping children to concentrate on the field and in the classroom. If any of your students are regularly coming to school without eating breakfast, consider starting a breakfast club or look into signing up to Foodbank’s School Breakfast Program at www.foodbank.org.au. By giving all children the opportunity to eat a wholesome breakfast you can help your students to perform to the best of their abilities each day.

During the athletics carnivalA wholesome lunch and regular healthy snacks throughout the day give children on the go a chance to re-fuel, a bit like putting petrol in the car when the gauge is on low. Meals and snacks should be based on nutritious foods like wholegrain breads and cereals, fruit, vegetables, tinned tuna, skinless chicken, lean red meats, beans, peas, lentils, seeds, eggs and reduced fat dairy. Prior to the event, clearly communicate with parents about which foods should and shouldn’t be sent to school for the athletics carnival by placing articles into the school newsletter. Conducting in-class lessons on healthy eating may also encourage student uptake of healthy eating messages. Canteen staff should be involved in the early stages of planning the carnival and a healthy menu developed for the event collaboratively. By engaging with the wider school community, schools can ensure that children receive consistent messages about healthy eating practices. Visit the Western Australian School Canteen Association website www.waschoolcanteens.org.au for further information about planning healthy school menus for athletics carnivals.

Fuelling little athletes

Healthy School NewsTerm 3 | 2016

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Fuelling little athletes continued...

Keep hydratedMaking sure that children drink enough water is as important as keeping them well fed. Active kids can forget to drink water unless reminded, leading to dehydration. Even moderate dehydration can impact on a child’s mental and physical performance.

The amount of fluid that children need each day varies according to body size, weather and activity level. Fluid needs are higher on hot days and during and after exercise. All children at an athletics carnival should have a water bottle close by and be regularly encouraged to drink by staff members, parent helpers and student leaders. Be sure to remind parents to send a water bottle to school with their children and encourage strategies to keep water cold, such as storing bottles in an insulated bag, as this can make water more appealing to children.

What about sports drinks?Sports drinks are increasingly being consumed by children and teenagers as they are perceived to enhance sports performance and provide better hydration than water. Sports drinks do provide some benefit to people participating in endurance and high intensity activities that involve long periods of sweating, such as marathon running. However, for the average child engaged in routine physical activity, the use of sports drinks is unnecessary. It is unlikely that children are much more active on carnival day than any other school day, so there is no need for a sports drink.

Drinks containing caffeine, such as energy drinks and coffee, are not appropriate for children. Cordial, fruit juice, energy drinks, sports drinks, and soft drink are high in sugar and bad for teeth. For children participating in an athletics carnival, water is the best choice.

Schools can play a key role in helping students to perform at their best on the day of the sports carnival by promoting good nutrition and adequate water intake. For further information on the nutrition needs of junior athletes see the Sports Dietitians Australia website at www.sportsdietitians.com.au.

HealthySchoolNews | Term 3 | 2016

5th– 9th September 2016

How loud can your school crunch?

Western Australian schools - get ready for The Great Aussie Crunch!

See how loud your students can simultaneously CRUNCH on vegetables

for good fun and good health. www.crunchandsip.com.au

Don’t be fooled by temperature when it comes to UV radiationPeople often confuse temperature and ultraviolet (UV) radiation and assume that the UV Index is higher on warmer days. However, heat and UV are not the same thing. Too often we think about sun protection when the temperatures are high, but fail to protect ourselves when the weather is cooler. For example, the UV Index can peak at 14 on a January day whether the maximum temperature reaches 40oC or 25oC. Cancer Council WA recommends that sun protection is used when the UV Index is 3 or above, regardless of the temperature.

Temperature and UV – opposite ends of the light spectrumThe spectrum of radiation received on earth from the sun includes infrared, visible and ultraviolet radiation. The visible light spectrum ranges from the colours violet to red, just as you would see on a rainbow. Next to violet is ultraviolet, or UV, the radiation which can cause skin cancer.

At the other end of the visible light spectrum next to the colour red, is infrared, the type of radiation that produces warmth. This is an important point because many people think of heat and UV radiation as the same thing but actually they appear in different parts of the spectrum and they are not always present in equal amounts in our environment.

When the sun is not visible, we receive no UV radiation. As the sun rises, the level of UV radiation increases until it reaches its peak at solar noon, when the sun is directly above us. This normally happens around the middle of the day. The temperature (associated with infrared radiation) can often peak much later in the day.

You can’t see or feel UV radiationIt is often hard to differentiate between heat and UV radiation because when it is hot our skin does feel like it is burning, but in reality the heat we are feeling is the infrared radiation which does not cause sunburn. Actually, the damaging UV radiation is invisible and cannot be felt, which is why during cooler weather we may not realise our skin is burning until later when the sunburn appears.

This also explains why, although it can be 35 degrees on a summer day later in the afternoon, there is little chance of getting sunburnt. In fact, in the middle of summer in Perth, the UV level after 4.30pm each day is generally too low (below 3) to damage your skin, meaning sun protection may not be required. Conversely when the weather is cool in Perth in the middle of winter, the UV level can still rise to 3 or above during the day, meaning sun protection would be needed.

For most people it is recommended that you always use the UV index to guide your sun protection and protect yourself whenever levels reach 3 or above.

Understanding the difference between UV and heat, as well as understanding the UV index and when you are at risk, and taking protective measures can dramatically reduce your risk of skin cancer in the future, even after years of exposure. To find out the UV forecast for your location or for more information on how to protect yourself go to www.myuv.com.au.

HealthySchoolNews | Term 3 | 2016

The school athletics carnival is a great time to promote healthy lifestyle messages to your school community. We encourage schools to provide a comprehensive approach to health promotion,

focusing not just on the benefits of exercise but also the importance of other behaviours such as healthy eating and protecting skin from the sun. This can be achieved by consistent messaging and

creating environments that support healthy behaviours. Following a healthy lifestyle helps children to reach their full potential – whether that means becoming an Olympic athlete, scientist, nurse,

electrician or political leader!

Get the school community involved

• Engage the whole school community in helping to plan a healthy athletics carnival

• Invite the school health nurse to run a health information stand

• Involve the canteen early on in planning a healthy carnival menu

• Contact local businesses to ask for their support e.g. donating fresh vegetables and fruit

• Include health tips in the school newsletter or on the school website (download newsletter inserts from the Crunch&Sip® website) www.crunchandsip.com.au

Public announcements at the carnival

• Give short health messages over the PA (e.g. announce the Crunch&Sip® break, play audio health messages created by students)

• Regular reminders to re-apply sunscreen

Junk food free event

• Make the carnival a junk food free day for students, parents and staff

• Encourage parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks and to reward children with non-food items such as a soccer ball, stickers, a high five or a kiss and cuddle

Hold a Crunch&Sip® break

• Faction captains to organise vegetable and fruit platters for each faction bay.

• Remind students and parents that water is the best choice for hydration

• Play the Crunch&Sip® rap during the Crunch&Sip® break

Be SunSmart

• Consider UV levels when scheduling events. UV levels peak in the middle of the day

• Remind parents and students to bring sun protection (hats, sunscreen, clothing and sunglasses)

• Request that event officials, staff, parents and visitors wear a sun protective hat (not a cap) and role model sun protection behaviours

• Download the free SunSmart app or check the MyUV website www.myuv.com.au throughout the day – sun protection is needed when the UV is 3 or above

• Provide adequate shade for spectators and participants

Invite a sporting star along

• Ask them to speak about what they do to keep physically and mentally healthy

Faction bays

• Encourage student leaders and teachers to model healthy behaviours to younger students

• Provide enough shade for all students all day

• Have SunSmart monitors for each faction check students for sun safety

• Have sunscreen available and ask older students to help re-apply sunscreen to younger students

Health information stand

• Invite parents to supervise the stand (roster parents)

• Contact organisations for pamphlets, posters and other materials e.g. Cancer Council WA (Crunch&Sip®, SunSmart), Diabetes WA, Foodbank WA, Eat for Health, HeadSpace

• Provide free sunscreen to students, staff and parents

• Sell hats, sunnies, sunscreen and apple slinkies as a fundraising project

• VegieMan and Sid Seagull are available to hire from the Cancer Council WA. Email resourceofficer@cancerwa.asn.au

Promoting health at your school athletics carnival

• Think of healthy alternatives to the sausage sizzle e.g. corn on the cob, healthy burgers, vegie pikelets on the BBQ (use squeezy bottle for mixture), fruit kebabs and toasted jaffles

• Offer a special meal deal that includes a healthy roll, piece of fruit, and water or reduced fat milk

Canteen lunches

Compost food scraps

• Invite parents to take a bag of scraps home for their compost

• Set up and promote the use of food scrap bins. After the carnival food scraps can be composted for the school kitchen garden

Caps off (and bucket hats on) to O’Connor Primary SchoolO’Connor Primary School in Kalgoorlie has turned from students predominately wearing caps to the whole school embracing a sun protective hat in just a few months. With a school population of 776 students, it was achieved with team effort, whole of school support and enthusiasm. O’Connor Primary School joined the SunSmart Schools Program in term 1 2016.

Identifying the issueThe process of becoming a SunSmart School was driven by junior sport specialist teacher Mr Ashley Sims. Prior to becoming a SunSmart School, it was identified that the biggest challenge to ensuring students were adequately protected from UV radiation was wearing the correct sun protective hats. Most of the students wore caps, with a survey of students in term 3 2015 finding that only 28% wore sun protective hats. As a result, the school was keen to implement a bucket hat and encourage all children to wear it. It was understood that the staff, students and parents would have to work together to turn this around.

Finding solutionsAs a starting point, teachers were encouraged to be role models and wear a bucket hat which were sourced by Mr Sims and proved to be very popular.

“The teachers were very keen to wear the bucket hats and I soon had other teachers asking for the hats. This is a great thing that I didn’t want to deter.”

In October 2015 a SunSmart Committee was formed comprising of teachers from each stage, the Principal and Cancer Council WA’s Regional Education Officer for the Goldfields, Pam Foulkes-Taylor. The committee drafted a sun protection policy and worked to get sun protective practices more entrenched in the school and supported by the whole school community.

The P&C agreed to introduce a new reversible bucket hat that showed the school colours on one side, and each faction colour on the other. The P&C also agreed to subsidise the new hat to only cost students $4 each. In addition, in 2016 they provided every Kindy and Pre-Primary student with a free hat, and from 2017, all Kindy students will receive a free hat courtesy of the P&C. This is approximately 100 hats each year!Students were provided incentives for wearing the correct school hat, with particular focus on the school student leaders role modelling for younger students to make it ‘cool’ to wear a bucket hat

In addition, the school provided a 1L sunscreen bottle to go into each of the 31 classrooms. A local supplier for the sunscreen was found through a parent.

By the start of 2016, about 80% of students were wearing the school bucket hats, with a ‘no SunSmart hat, play in the undercover area’ rule implemented. Further promotion was done by Mr Sims through a colouring in and poster competition.

By the third week of term 1, 95% of students were wearing the school bucket hat. At this point, O’Connor Primary School officially became a SunSmart school with a launch at assembly.

Mr Sims said their success was due to students, staff and parents working together to ensure their school is SunSmart. “Our SunSmart School will contribute to the fight against skin cancer by teaching students how to protect themselves from the sun and thus reducing their risk of skin cancer”.

HealthySchoolNews | Term 3 | 2016

How can schools help to make smoking history?While we are seeing smoking rates at all time low in Western Australia, the job is far from done. Approximately 250,000 adults in WA are current smokers, of which two out of three will die due to their smoking. In addition results from the most recent Australian School Student Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) Survey show almost 6% of secondary school students aged 12 to 17 years had smoked in the last week.1 We know that the younger someone starts to smoke, the more likely they are to be a heavy user of tobacco as an adult, and consequently, have a greater risk of ill-health from smoking.

Schools can play a major role in reducing smoking rates even further, not only by reducing the number of students who take up smoking, but also among existing smokers in the broader school community. In addition to including smoking prevention education in the classroom, one of the most inexpensive actions a school can take to reduce smoking is to effectively enforce its smoke-free policy.

While policies may vary slightly in independent and Catholic Education schools, for all government schools, smoking is not permitted:

• on any Department premises, including the land area up to the boundaries;

• within five metres of any Department building entrance

• within 10 metres of any air intake for ventilation equipment; or

• in any other Department building or vehicle.2

Most importantly, site managers must ensure that other users of the Department’s premises (for example community groups) are advised of this policy. This would include any sport, parent or other third party group who uses school facilities at any time of the week or day. The entire school must be smoke-free inside and out.

An emerging issue for schools is also the use of ‘electronic nicotine (and non-nicotine) delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS) or ‘e-cigarettes’. A study conducted by the Cancer Institute New South Wales, found that e-cigarette use is highest among young people, with 16% of respondents aged 18–29 years currently using e-cigarettes.3 In accordance with the Cancer Council Australia’s position, it is recommended that e-cigarettes are treated the same as ‘combustible’ cigarettes, and use should be prohibited in all areas where smoking cigarettes is prohibited. In addition, by state law, the sale of e-cigarettes (with and without nicotine) is prohibited in Western Australia.

By effectively enforcing the comprehensive smoke-free policies that schools have, this sends a powerful message to students, staff, parents and our broader school community that smoking is not the norm and as a result, prevent the uptake of smoking and help to make smoking history.

For more information please see;

www.sdera.wa.edu.au

www.makesmokinghistory.org.au

1. Hood, R., Bridle, R., & Christou, A. (2012). Australian School Student Alcohol and Drug Survey: Tobacco Report 2011 – Western Australian results. Drug and Alcohol Office Surveillance Report: Number 7. Perth: Drug and Alcohol Office

2. http://det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-framework/policies/smoking-in-the-workplace.en?cat-id=3457102

3. Dunlop, S., Lyons, C., Dessaix, A., & Currow, D. (2016). How are tobacco smokers using e-cigarettes? Patterns of use, reasons for use and places of purchase in New South Wales. Med J Aust, 204(9), 355.

HealthySchoolNews | Term 3 | 2016

Getting it together: Developing a whole school drug education plan

Research shows that school drug education opens up a dialogue about drugs and consequences of drug use that can increase help seeking behaviour where concerns around drug use exist. Having a Whole School Drug Education Plan that focuses on classroom-based drug education and on procedures for responding to student drug use is supportive of staff as well as students.

When schools have a drug education plan that includes outlined procedures for incident management and intervention support, this ensures a consistent and thorough process is followed in the school’s response to a drug-related incident or issue. It also makes sure that, while having appropriate consequences, the school’s response does not isolate or marginalise a student who may already be struggling. Rather these procedures guide schools to provide a clear direction that can assist students to address any issues through appropriate support within the school and, where required, through referral by appropriate staff to relevant community based services.

SDERA can help you to develop a whole school drug education plan (School Drug Education Guidelines) or school drug policy to help promote awareness and appropriate but supportive action around drugs and drug use – including smoking behaviour - in your school community.

For more information contact SDERA on (08) 9402 6415 or visit www.sdera.wa.edu.au

HealthySchoolNews | Term 3 | 2016

Daffodil Day Friday 26th August 2016Daffodil Day is celebrating its 30th year and we’re inviting all schools to get involved and ‘go yellow’ this August.Supporting Daffodil Day is an easy and fun way for students and the school community to participate in fundraising for cancer research, prevention and support.

How you can get involved this Daffodil Day

Dress yellow day: Enjoy a free dress day with a difference. Invite all staff and students to dress in yellow and make a gold coin donation.

Sell merchandise: Boost your fundraising efforts by selling Daffodil Day merchandise. Special discounted merchandise is available just for schools. For younger students, we also have some great Peppa Pig packs!

To get your school involved register at www.daffodilday.com.au, contact us at eventvols@cancerwa.asn.au or call 1300 65 65 85