Activities and Projects

This is how we help!

Since 1997, the CHILD HEALTH FOUNDATION organised and co-sponsored several paediatric expert workshops and conferences, and is responsible for important initiatives.

• European Childhood Obesity Project
  The foundation supports the European Childhood Obesity Project, a study for prevention of overweight in children.
  Which influences have the early eating habits on the childish development?

  To understand the underlying mechanisms, the European Childhood Obesity Project, an international research project, is executed in cooperation with the CHILD HEALTH FOUNDATION in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Poland and Spain.
• Breast feeding decreases the prevalence of obesity in childhood
  The foundation supports work aiming at prevention of obesity in children and adolescents, an increasingly serious health risk in children worldwide. The CHILD HEALTH FOUNDATION supported a study of the University of Munich to assess the impact of breast feeding on the risk of obesity and risk of being overweight in children. In more than 9000 children the relation between breast feeding and obesity at the time of entry to school was investigated. The results published in British Medical Journal (BMJ, 1999, Vol 319, p 1147-150) show that the likelihood of overweight and obesity at school age decreases with longer duration of breast feeding.
• German Infant Nutrition Intervention-Study
  The CHILD HEALTH FOUNDATION actively supports the GINI-Study German Infant Nutrition Intervention-Study) on allergy prevention. This study is the largest longitudinal study investigating allergy prevention, with about 2500 participating children followed prospectively from birth to the age of 3 years.
  The CHILD HEALTH FOUNDATION supports the continuation of this study to follow up the development of allergies of the children involved in the study. It can provide valuable recommendations for the prevention of allergies. 
• "TigerKids- Kindergarten aktiv"
  A change of behaviour regarding several issues is aimed:
  - Increase in physical activity (at least one hour per day), to be more
    active with the parents and to lower sedentary activities e.g. TV, 
    electronic games (reduction to one hour every day).
  - Decrease in energy density of foods, increase in fruits and
    vegetables etc.
  - Decrease in consumption of soft drinks, other high energy drinks etc.
   
  One reason to take action was the fact that obesity starts to become a major public health problem in all industrialized countries that place enormous stress on the health care system and taxpayers.
  This increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in children is found in all European countries. Furthermore the nationwide programme phase is part of the implementation of the action plan "Gesunde Ernährung und Bewegung" of the Federal Government.
  
  Description:
  The action started first with a pilot phase (2003-2007) including 42 random project kindergartens in Bavaria. The decision about a nationwide phase (2007-2009) was made after positive intermediate results had been available.
  
  Media and materials were developed for kindergarten teachers, children as well as parents to promote a healthy lifestyle in the kindergarten setting. During the pilot phase activities to empower, support and qualify the Kindergarten team took place e.g. distribution of training material including programme manuals and posters.
  
  Workshops were organized to improve the programme, increase motivation, give the opportunity for network building and the exchange of experiences.
  Information- evenings, newsletter and tip- cards are organized for parents with information about nutrition and physical activity.
  For children the ”little train” was invented, a wooden engine to distinguish, category and value foods. The tiger hand-doll serves to emphasize and reward healthy snacks. 
  A booklet about the ingenious physical activity programme was developed, so that the children experience by themselves how enjoyable physical activity can be. This booklet has been adapted for the nationwide programme phase. The programme is characterizes by playful activities, positive examples and regular practice which are integrated in everyday life in the kindergarten, without prohibition or restrictive approaches.
  
  Motivating elements to increase participation are:
  - The supply of costs for resources by AOK.
  - playful materials such as the hand puppet „tiger“ which is an expert
    and knows all about health meals and physical activity.
  - The involvement of children to be always independently active.
                                                                                 
  Reasons to choose these methods:
  Lifestyle habits are acquired at an early age and tend to track well into later life. Children at this age are also easy to motivate and their behaviour and habits can still be changed comparatively easy.
    
  The used health promotion approach is based on recurring playful activities (the Tiger- hand puppet, wooden train) and includes enjoyable activities to modify and correct the bad and harmful behaviours before habits have been firmly established integrating the elements in the every day life in the kindergarten.
   
  Next to the kindergarten teachers and children also the parents or attachment figures are actively involved. This is also regarded promising in order to achieve sustainable effectiveness.
   
  The concept adopts to the recommended, integrated approach for obesity prevention by the WHO.
  
• Powerkids: A training programme for overweight children
  

  The CHILD HEALTH FOUNDATION developed and supports a behavioural treatment programmed ,"PowerKids". Over a period of 3 months, it trains and encourages healthy behavior in a playful manner, with the aim to counteract overweight in school age children. It consists of various games specifically manufactured with attractive materials (video tape, worksheets, poster, stickers, lucky packets) with an emphasis on nutrition and physical activity. PowerKids was developed by paediatricians, psychologists, sport-physicians and nutritionist of the Universities of Göttingen, Luton (UK) and Munich. An evaluation of the program proved highly successful. The children were enthusiastic, found it easy to participate, and achieved long term benefits on body mass index even one year after the end of the programme. One of the largest German health insurances (AOK) supports and distributes the program, which is available to paediatricians and families nationwide (www.Powerkids.de).

• Folic acid and neural tube defects

  We supported a project of publishing an information brochure about the preventing effects of the vitamin folic acid in pregnancy. Daily intake of 0,4 mg folic acid beginning before conception and preceding for at least 4 weeks of pregnancy can reduce the risk of serious neural tube defects by 50 percent to 70 percent.

• Smoking-related problems in children and adolescents
  

  In May 2001 the foundation organised a symposium about the risk factor smoking and smoking-related problems concerning children and adolescents. Experts discussed the current research on the effects of exposure to smoke on the fetus in utero, the neonate, children and adolescents. The results of the conference were discussed extensively in the German media.

• Copper toxicity and requirements

  In January 2001 the CHILD HEALTH FOUNDATION organised an international workshop on copper toxicity in infants ("copper deficiency and excess in infancy"). A small group of experts discussed questions on copper supply and metabolism in infancy. A report has been prepared for publication.

• Influences of breast feeding on child health
  

  In October 1999 the foundation supported a conference of the International Society for Research in Human Milk an Lactation (ISRHML) in Germany. Leading scientists from 32 nations discussed the current research on short- and longterm influences of breast feeding on child health. The results were published in April 2000 in a book (Koletzko B, Hernell O, Michaelsen KF. Short and Long Term Effects of Breast Feeding on Child Health. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, Vol. 248. New York, Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers 2000:1-447 (ISBN 0-306-46405-5)).

The role of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in maternal and child health

In July 1999 the CHILD HEALTH FOUNDATION organised an international workshop on the role of LC-PUFA (long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) in maternal and child health. The supplementation of LC-PUFA received a lot of attention because of the relation to the development of visual acuity and the nervous system. The conclusions of the workshop were summarised as a statement of the current knowledge in the field and recommendations for dietary practice in a consensus paper (Acta Paediatr 90: 460-4. 2001). It is an important guideline for mothers, physicians, regulatory agencies and producers of infant formulas.

Pesticides in dietary products for infants
In June 1998, the foundation organised an European workshop on pesticides in dietary products for infants in France. The results were published as a workshop report in Archives of Diseases in Childhood (Arch Dis Childh 1999;80: 91-91), and led the way to the current European Union legislation.

Improvement of support of abused children
The foundation supported a workshop for physicians on preventing child abuse, in cooperation with the German "Kinderschutzbund". We also provided financial support for a brochure on the prevention of sexual abuse of boys by the initiative "Zartbitter", Cologne, Germany.

Waiting room magazine "Das gesunde Kind" ("The healthy child")
The foundation acts as consultants for the publishers of "Eltern", the leading parenting magazine in German, in publishing a regular magazine on child health distributed to parents in pediatric waiting rooms nationwide. The magazine provides information on pertinent topics in child health health, such as dental care, allergy, regular health checks etc... The journal is free of charge and is distributed by physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, nurseries and schools.