Young people in Ireland are not getting the recommended amount of daily physical activity they need to stay healthy. This not only affects their current health but also increases their risk of developing health problems in the future.
As you know physical activity and a healthy balanced diet play a vital role in reducing your child’s risk of a developing a number of serious health conditions such as, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
"80 per cent of premature heart disease and stroke is preventable"
Our Youth Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH PE 4 ME) Programme is a collaboration between the Irish Heart Foundation and Dublin City University (DCU). It is delivered in schools by PE teachers.
The programme is a response to the worrying fact that children and young people in Ireland are not getting enough exercise and that the amount of physical activity they do, declines rapidly in the teenage years.
With individual attention, the Y-PATH PE 4 ME supports each student to feel confident to participate in and enjoy physical activity. Our goal is to ensure that everyone can find an activity they like, can take part in and enjoy.
99.5% of young people Ireland lack fundamental movement skills such as running or throwing a ball
These skills, known as fundamental movement skills (FMS), are the building blocks of movement we all need to stay active. They also allow us to participate in and enjoy physical activity.
Y-PATH aims to makes physical activity a part of your child’s every day life. It also aims to increase students’ confidence in their ability to be physically active by giving them a choice of a wide range of activities and helping them understand the importance of staying fit.
"Y-path doesn't have a competitive side. P.E. isn’t just for sporty students"
Small, consistent changes make a real difference in creating healthier lifestyles. Research has shown that the earlier we promote a healthy lifestyle among our children, the more likely they are to develop healthy life-long habits and reduce their risk of developing heart disease or suffering a stroke.
