Project With Children Against Obesity
Childhood obesity, once rare, has become an everyday reality. Mass media have become a common part of the educational process for children, thanks to the development of communication. It significantly influences people´s lifestyle particularly the children. The first specific environment interfering with the daily life of individuals, families and children is except television also the web environment through which they gain information but which also shapes knowledge, social norms and perceptions of social life.
At an individual level, the influence of authorities is decreasing, while on the other hand the influence of the media, which is conditioned by short-term interests, is growing stronger. It leads to a systematic reduction of individual health literacy in the czech population. In the 21st century, mainly the prevention of lifestyle diseases will decide about the future health not only of the individuals but whole society, which would inevitably fail without appropriate individual health literacy. Obesity takes a special place in the context of lifestyle diseases, because it is the only community disease which is visible at first glance and becomes a display of lifestyle. Currently we can not influence a pandemic of obesity without a cooperation with profit and non-profit sectors so therefore we are ready to cooperate at all levels.
Project „With Children Against Obesity“ is conceived as an open space for anyone who is interested in the issue of child obesitology in the Czech Republic. Currently the websites „With Children Against Obesity“ are prepared as a professionally guaranteed signpost. Websites aim to address four basic groups: families with children, health professionals, nutritional consultants, schools and the media, which should enable an orientation in the prevention of lifestyle diseases and obesity on the web environment.