Dilyara Kaidarova, President of the Kazakhstan Cancer Society, First Prorector at Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, shared a post on Facebook:
“On December 22, a working session of the National Kurultai was held in Astana! I participated in the work of the Science and Education Committee!
I proposed reinstating healthy lifestyle lessons in schools!
About 20-21% of children aged 6-9 in Kazakhstan are overweight or obese. This means that approximately one in five primary school-aged children faces this problem. The rate of overweight or obesity is higher among boys—about 23.6%—than among girls—about 17.6%.
The problem is more common among boys in urban areas, which may be related to lifestyle factors (low physical activity, high consumption of high-calorie foods and sugary drinks).
For developing a healthy lifestyle (HLS) in school, the most effective approach is not to teach a single subject, but to integrate regular lessons and age-appropriate practices. A healthy lifestyle is a skill, not a prohibition.
Children learn better when they are taught why and how, not simply what they shouldn’t do!
We need to develop a healthy lifestyle curriculum for the school year, create a lesson plan with presentations, adapt the course to the requirements of the Republic of Kazakhstan and age groups, and include the following:
- Fundamentals of healthy eating
- Physical activity and movement
- Sleep, daily routine, and recovery
- Mental health and stress
- Prevention of bad habits
- Personal hygiene and infection prevention
- Digital hygiene
These skills must be instilled from childhood!”
More posts featuring Dilyara Kaidarova.
