Health and Wellbeing Queensland launches Podsquad to make healthy habits fun
Queensland parents and carers will have more help at hand to get their kids eating healthier and moving more thanks to a new app launched recently by Health and Wellbeing Queensland (HWQld).
With one in 4 Queensland children (25%) living with overweight or obesity, rates that have remained unchanged for more than a decade, new approaches to educating parents and carers, and exciting kids, about improving their health and wellbeing are needed to help families build and maintain healthy habits.
To provide this support, Health and Wellbeing Queensland is launching Podsquad, an innovative free, play-based wellbeing program to make learning new healthy habits fun for children and families.
Developed by childhood health experts from HWQld, The University of Queensland, and across the health sector, as well as more than 300 Queensland families, the app is the first of its kind in Australia and is designed to provide learning and support through animations, music, games, quizzes, online and offline quests and resources for both adults and children.
With 2 in 5 Queensland parents finding it difficult to have conversations with their children about being physically active, and only half of Queensland parents including their kids in planning and preparing meals and food at home, Podsquad provides the opportunity for parents and carers to bring these activities and conversations into their homes to encourage kids to become active, explore all kinds of foods, improve sleep habits and set health goals.
HWQld CEO, Dr Robyn Littlewood, applauds the launch of Podsquad, which teaches children all about healthier behaviours in a fun, free and play-based way.
“Health and Wellbeing Queensland is excited to launch Podsquad, which is merging the world of online play with real-life healthy behaviours for children and their families.
“Podsquad is certain to provide lots of fun for the whole family as they explore the amazing world of Imago and discover its creatures, known as Epipods, each of whom represents different elements of health and wellbeing,” Dr Littlewood says.
“Children build their own Podsquad by collecting Epipods and helping them to be healthier and happier through online and real-life quests.
“This really is a program for Queenslanders, by Queenslanders. Some of our state’s greatest minds in health and technology have informed its development, and hundreds of children, parents and carers have helped shape it into an exciting program that really meets the needs of busy families.”
“We know that nearly 60% of parents and carers try to set a good example for being physically active for their children, yet only about one in ten think it is easy to encourage children to be more physically active each week.
“Podsquad provides the opportunity for healthier habits to be learned and reinforced through real-life quests and an easy-to-use tracking tool that creates structure and monitors progress, across physical activity, healthy eating and sleep,” added Dr Littlewood.
Dr Littlewood said the launch of Podsquad was timely in helping more Queensland families wherever they live, including regional, remote and First Nations communities, to make healthy happen.
Research commissioned by HWQld, the state’s health prevention agency, noted that:
- Only half of Queensland parents include their kids in planning for and preparing meals and food at home.
- Two in 5 parents find it difficult to have conversations with their children about being physically active.
- Despite almost 60% of parents reporting that they try to set a good example of being physically active for their children, only about one in 10 believe it is easy to encourage their children to be more physically active each week.
Podsquad is set to turn this around by supporting families to set their own health goals and providing the tools they need to help achieve them.
Find out more at playpodsquad.com.au and download Podsquad for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
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