1) A healthy lifestyle is paramount for other children and adults to help prevent, or minimize chronic illness and diseases. A healthy lifestyle does not only include diet and exercise but also a healthy mental wellbeing, especially in children. It involves the connection of body and mind; self esteem, self-belief, confidence and building up a natural strength to help them cope during tough times.

‘Every child matters’ a government programmed, came into affect in 2001 to ensure children have access to health are services, to prevent violence against children in their home and in their community. It is also in place to alleviate child poverty. This program helps children with building confidence and creating support networks so they understand they are not alone.

Leading a healthy life style can prevent diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic heart disease, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer; I will now explore these diseases and ways to prevent them.

It is know fact that the rates of obesity are higher in children who do low levels of exercise than to those who do high, frequent levels of exercise. Exercise is very important for young children in order to keep their bodies from accumulating unnecessary fat, which can lead to chronic illness later on in life such as diabetes. Children who regularly exercise will benefit in better health, not just at present but for future years as their bodies and mind will be conscious of the healthy lifestyle choice they make. Lack of exercise, being over weight and, for adults, exercise alcohol consumption is big risk factors for high blood pressure. It affects approximately one third of the UK. High blood pressure can be treated with medication; however, most of these can produce side affects such as skin irritation, dizziness and feeling drowsy. Some people are able to reduce or even stop treatment if they are able to keep their blood pressure under control whilst on the medication. If patients were educated earlier on how to prevent this chronic illness with lifestyle changes then medication would not be needed.

Type 2 diabetes is another illness that can be controlled by the individual and their lifestyle choices. Along with taking medication, a persons diet and regular exercise are things that need to be addressed. There are over 3.1 million people in England that suffer from diabetes (type 1 +2). It is important to get diagnosed as early as possible to prevent symptoms worsening. Simple things like keeping blood pressure down and weight are two key ways of preventing type 2 diabetes, however type 1 cannot be controlled.

Coronary heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK, it occurs when fatty deposits block the blood supply to the heart. Smoking, having high blood pressure or having diabetes could all cause CHD. Although it cannot be cured there are treatments and lifestyle changes that can reduce further problems such as; lowering cholesterol and maintaining a healthy weight.

Strokes can also occur when the blood supply is restricted from the brain. Strokes happen quickly and often cause disabling complications such as paralysis and permanent numbness. To reduce the risks of suffering a stroke it is advised that we do simple and regular exercise and maintain a healthy weight. In doing this we lower our chances of having a stroke. Smoking is a major factor towards strokes due to the arteries clogging with tar, which causes blood clots.