The Government aims to reduce the sedentary lifestyles of children with the Crecer en Movimiento Program
1,440 Physical Education teachers are to be trained in order to increase effective minutes of exercise time, benefiting 214,000 students. “We are going to reduce the social gap in the practice of sports," said Sports Minister Pauline Kantor.
The alarming childhood obesity figures ranking Chile first in Latin America and sixth in the world have prompted President Sebastián Piñera to include in his Government program a plan to reduce the high level of sedentary lifestyles among children. This has led to the creation of “Crecer en Movimiento” (Growing in Motion program) that is being implemented throughout Chile. The program was officially launched today at the Fernando Alessandri school in the Municipality of Santiago by Sports Minister Pauline Kantor and Education Minister Marcela Cubillos.
This public policy seeks, among other aspects, to improve physical education classes, develop the motor skills of girls and boys during early childhood, enhance the athletic talents of students, and reduce the social gap in the practice of sports. The program will benefit 214,000 students throughout the country.
“This is an important step to start winning the battle against obesity and sedentary lifestyles. We want to democratize sports from early childhood onward and reduce the social gap in the practice of physical activity. We will incorporate children aged 2 to 17," explained Sports Minister Pauline Kantor.
The program includes training for 1,440 Physical Education teachers to increase the effective exercise time of students, which today is just 14 minutes per student according to a study by the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA) of the Universidad de Chile.
During 2019, 5,900 workshops will be implemented in State schools throughout Chile. These will be divided into three types: "Play and learn," with motor-play activities for children in pre-school education (2 to 6 years); "From play to sport," aimed at elementary education students (7 to 11 years) offering workshops focused on various sports disciplines; and "Schools of sports choice"
for the second cycle of primary and secondary education (12 to 17 years), with workshops focused on a sports discipline chosen by the participants.