The Active Families Programme represents a partnership between Western Investing for Health (WIFH) and Western Group Environmental Health, which involves the five local district councils of Derry, Omagh, Strabane, Limavady and Fermanagh.
The programme aims to help improve our lifestyle choices through the involvement of parents/guardians and teenagers on a 12 week programme covering a broad range of lifestyle management issues based around the benefits of increased physical activity, while putting emphasis on good role modelling.
It was designed to deliver a preventive message around the main risk factors of Coronary Heart Disease, one of the biggest killers in the western area, and alcohol misuse, embedding these messages into the delivery of an enjoyable programme, ultimately aiming to increase life expectancy.
Parents are urged to become active role models for their children, encouraging them to make positive, healthier lifestyle choices, through increased levels of physical activity, adopting healthy-eating lifestyles, and raising awareness of the affects of drugs, alcohol & smoking and how stressful life's challenges may be and how this can affect our overall health and well-being.
Active Families trainers are situated throughout each council area and can be contacted through the Active Families Co-ordinator Billie-Jo Armstrong on (028) 8224 5321 or via email: info@activaefamilies.org.uk