Action Cancer and Centra have announced that an exercise
routine introduced to Northern Ireland schools two years
ago has helped 10,000 teenagers reduce their risk of becoming
obese.
The ‘boxercise’ routine, which combines boxing moves and music, forms part of
Action Cancer’s health promotion programme for secondary schools and colleges
– Health Action. The programme is sponsored by Centra and its independent retailers
across Northern Ireland and is fully supported by the Council for the Curriculum
Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).
‘Boxercise’ is offered to all secondary schools, colleges and youth groups
as part of their Health Action sessions, which also include messages on healthy
eating, the dangers of smoking and alcohol, and cancer detection.
Action Cancer and Centra have had an award-winning partnership since 2003,
to advance the charity’s health promotion service for young people. Over the
past six years almost £500,000 of funding from Centra has helped the local
charity bring Health Action to over 150,000 young people. It has also helped
Action Cancer recruit an additional four health promotion staff, who now spend
40% of their time in schools.
Centra Cloughey retailer Conor Watson is shown some boxercise
moves by Ashleigh Gray and Joel Harris from Glastry College, Ballyhalbert
and Action Cancer’s Selena Ramsey.
