Check out the latest news stories to keep up to date with the most recent developments.
What is healthy growth?
2 December 2019
Every child is unique, and their growth can change over time. That’s why it’s important to regularly monitor child growth.
www.growinggoodhabits.health.qld.gov.au/need-to-know/what-is-healthy-growth
Teaching kids to cook
25 November 2019
Cooking helps children to develop life skills and healthy eating habits. Discover safe and age-appropriate cooking activities for your child.
www.growinggoodhabits.health.qld.gov.au/family-toolkit/teaching-kids-cook
Healthy snack hacks: getting more fruit and veg between meals
18 November 2019
Looking for snack foods that are both tasty and healthy? Look no further! These 30 savoury and sweet snack ideas will hit the spot.
www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/healthy-snack-hacks-getting-more-fruit-and-veg-between-meals
How to spot a fad diet
11 November 2019
Fad diets make big promises, but don’t be fooled – they aren’t good for us. Know how to spot the difference between healthy eating and a fad diet.
www.growinggoodhabits.health.qld.gov.au/teenagers/how-to-spot-fad-diet
Rough-and-tumble play builds life skills
04 November 2019
Dads and father figures tend to engage in more ‘rough-and-tumble play’ – active, physical play activities – with their young children. Research shows this type of play is important for healthy child development.
Vigorous exercise is good for pregnant women
28 October 2019
Vigorous exercise is safe during pregnancy, including in the third trimester. And not only is it safe; it’s healthy, too.
Five fun ideas to get the whole family moving
21 October 2019
Getting active as a family is great for grown-ups and kids alike. Healthy movement comes in many shapes and forms – here are five fun ideas to get you started.
Dad time: why it’s important for kids
14 October 2019
Dads and father figures play an important role in raising children. Whether men are parenting in a couple, raising kids solo or co-parenting, it’s all about staying connected and making the most of everyday moments.
Child temperament: what it is and why it matters
7 October 2019
Children are born with their own ways of responding to the world. This is called temperament. Understanding your child’s temperament can help you choose parenting strategies that nurture your child’s development.
Fun, low-cost play ideas for young children
30 September 2019
Playing helps young children to learn new skills like creative thinking, problem-solving, movement, and self-expression. Explore fun activities for children aged 0-6 years on the Raising Children website.
Healthy habits at home
16 September 2019
Making changes to your family routine is possible at any time. Small A few small healthy and sustainable practices could save a lot of effort and conflict in the long run. Find out how family routines can encourage both parents and kids to eat well, be active, and manage screen time.
Parents, what type of feeding style do you use?
9 September 2019
Different parent feeding styles can shape a child’s relationship with food, for better or for worse. Learn more about feeding styles and how to adopt an authoritative or ‘love with limits’ approach to foster healthier eating behaviours in children.
Making healthier choices easier
2 September 2019
When it comes to being healthier, our environment has a big influence on the choices we make. Don’t believe it? Try the fridge experiment and see how marketing and unhealthy food environments can shape our idea of what ‘normal’ is, without us even knowing it. When we can see what influences us, we’re better able to make healthier choices.
Sparking food curiosity and exploration
26 August 2019
Do you find yourself telling your child ‘Eat this because it’s good for you?’, but not getting anywhere? It might be time to try a different approach at mealtimes that sparks food curiosity. With time, encouragement, positivity, and fun mealtimes, children learn to love healthy food.
Getting active during winter
19 August 2019
In need of new ideas to keep the whole family active during cold or wet weather? Take a look at the list of indoor and outdoor activities your family can try.
The benefits of boredom
22 July 2019
Kids complaining about being bored? It’s important for parents to play with their children, but you don’t have to entertain them all the time. Holding your ground can encourage your kids build skills in problem solving, creative thinking and imaginative play, which are all important life skills.
Being active may help teens sleep better
15 July 2019
For teens, day-to-day changes in physical activity can affect sleep length and quality each night, according to a US study. The research found that when teenagers got more physical activity than usual, they went to sleep earlier, and slept longer and better that night.
Encouraging ‘free-range kids’ in communities
8 July 2019
Playing outside with the neighbours used to be a natural part of childhood, but now just 8 per cent of kids play outside each day. Nature Play has designed and run a pilot program, funded by the Queensland Government, to recreate the sort of childhoods that were enjoyed a generation ago — where kids roamed free.
Screen time: part of a healthy lifestyle?
1 July 2019
Screen time is a normal part of life for most children and teenagers. It can also be part of a healthy lifestyle. Use Raising Children’s checklist to find out whether your child is using screens in a healthy and balanced way.
Almost half of all processed supermarket food is ‘discretionary’
24 June 2019
A report from Australian obesity researchers has found almost that half of all processed supermarket food is considered ‘discretionary’ when assessed using the Health Star Rating System. The report states that despite efforts in recent years to improve nutritional standards of processed foods, little progress had been made.
Teen sleep quality improves with one week of reduced evening screen time
17 June 2019
By limiting exposure to blue-light emitting devices (phones/tablets/television) in the evening, teens can improve their sleep quality and reduce symptoms of fatigue, lack of concentration and bad mood, after just one week.
Why outdoor play is important
10 June 2019
When your children play outside, they probably have more space and freedom for big movements, like running, jumping, kicking and throwing. Physical activities like these are good for health, fitness and physical development.
Babies with healthier diets are more active and sleep better
3 June 2019
Active babies are more likely to have a healthier diet and sleep better, according to research from the UK.
Learn about the link between activity, diet, and sleep for babies
Untangling the politics around kids and food
27 May 2019
Most parents don’t set out to feed their kids unhealthy food, but once you move away from whole fruit and veggies, convenience and clever marketing become powerful influences. This article explores some of the environmental and policy factors that influence children’s diets.
Learn more about the factors that influence children’s diets
Regular monitoring of child growth can help parents support healthy weight gain
20 May 2019
Parents and carers need simple, regular feedback about their children’s growth from an early age so that they intervene early enough to prevent later health problems, according to UK research.
The power of pestering
13 May 2019
Two words strike dread in the heart of every parent who has tried to negotiate a supermarket with children: pester power! Professor Clare Collins explores how common pester power is, why it matters, and strategies to help parents address it.
The impact of technology on child health and development
6 May 2019
For children and teens, prolonged screen time is associated with a range of negative health and development outcomes. And while technology is part of our lives, setting boundaries is essential.
How to look after baby teeth
29 April 2019
Baby teeth might be temporary, but they play an essential role in child health and development. Our baby’s teeth allow them to eat nutritious foods and learn to talk. They also hold space for adult teeth to come through, all the way into the tween years.
Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Young People (5-17 years)
22 April 2019
The Australian Government’s recently released 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Young People provide guidance on the amount and type of physical activity required for health benefits, limiting sedentary behaviour, and getting adequate sleep.
Australian toddlers not eating enough healthy foods
11 March 2018
New research has found that the vast majority of Australian toddlers are not eating enough vegetables and are eating junk food regularly. The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend children aged less than two years old should not eat any discretionary foods, such as sweet biscuits, confectionary and take-away pizza.
One in three children aren’t brushing their teeth often enough
26 March 2018
The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne’s latest National Child Health Poll found that infrequent tooth brushing, few dental visits, especially in toddlers and preschoolers, and a sugar-laden diet are all combining to set children up for a lifetime of poor oral health.
One in five Australian children are overweight before starting school
24 November 2017
Young Australian adults are nearly twice as likely to be obese as their parents and one in five children are now overweight before they start school, a report has found.
Gen X, Y and Z: Obesity risk higher for younger generations
24 November 2017
You are much more likely to be obese than your parents were when they were your age, according to new analysis released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
New movement guidelines to help keep Aussie kids happy and healthy
21 November 2017
New movement guidelines to help parents and carers create healthy daily practices for babies and young children have been released by the Federal Government. The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines have been developed by experts across Australia with input from national and international stakeholders, and in partnership with Canada, which developed the world’s first 24-hour movement guidelines.
New tool to tackle childhood obesity
2 November 2017
A new nutrition tactic, jointly developed by UON researchers, with the aim of significantly reducing the obesity epidemic among young Australians, has the backing of the Australian Government.
Tenfold increase in childhood and adolescent obesity in four decades
11 October 2017
If current trends continue, more children and adolescents will be obese than moderately or severely underweight by 2022, according to a new study led by Imperial College London and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Free toys have powerful influence on what kids want to eat: study
1 August 2017
New research from Cancer Council Victoria has revealed what food companies have known for decades – that supplying movie character toys with fast food has an enormous impact on what Aussie kids want to eat.
Family Report: Australian parents worried about rising rate of childhood obesity
3 July 2017
“Parents should parent,” is the take home message from a new survey on attitudes to childhood obesity.
Australian soft drinks linked to higher risk of diabetes, study shows
5 June 2017
Soft drinks sold in Australia have higher levels of glucose, which is linked to an increased chance of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes, a study shows.
Queensland Government creates commission, seeks community ideas to tackle obesity
21 May 2017
Queensland Government creates commission, seeks community ideas to tackle obesity. How would you fix Queensland’s obesity problem? The State Government wants Queenslanders’ help to reduce the growing number of overweight and obese families.
Small changes in our weight could significantly reduce health impact of obesity
13 April 2017
Relatively small changes—such as losing as little as 3 kilograms or maintaining our weight—could have a significant effect in reducing the health impact of overweight or obesity in Australia.
Pregnancy weight gain becoming health concern for mothers and their babies.
8 March 2017
It is estimated about half of Australian women are entering pregnancy overweight or obese, with many putting on excessive weight while pregnant.
Study shows the alarming cost of early childhood obesity
23 January 2017
Australian parents have access to a “unique window of opportunity” to influence their children’s behaviours that can not only bring short-term health benefits, but also affect health for the rest of their lives.
Dietitians plead: Don’t be afraid of eating fruit if going sugar-free, fructose-free.
13 January 2017
Sugar-free diets and concerns about fructose are leading more people to avoid fruit altogether — but they are missing out on a core food group, dietitians have warned.
Are kids’ menus across Australia training children to eat bad food?
24 October 2016
With more than 30,000 Australian children now severely obese, chefs and dietitians alike are calling for restauranteurs to give parents and younger diners alike greater choice when assembling their children’s menus.
Changes at the checkout key to reducing childhood obesity
11 October 2016
Changes at the checkout key to reducing childhood obesity. Cancer Council has called on supermarkets to take urgent action in the fight against obesity, with concerning figures showing Queensland is home to the largest number of childhood obesity cases nationally.
Obesity services increased to help more Queensland children
13 April 2016
More children and young people battling obesity will get the support they need to live a healthier life, thanks to new and increased services through the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital.
Learning from successful childhood obesity programs
29 January 2016
A new research project is hoping to learn from the success of two Australian programs that are making inroads into the growing problem of childhood overweight and obesity. The programs, Go4Fun in NSW and PEACH in Queensland, are free healthy lifestyle programs for children who are above a healthy weight.
