SAJSM EDITORIAL.indd


SAJSM  VOL. 26  NO. 3  2014   67

Healthy Active Kids South Africa: How do we score?
�e Healthy Active Kids South Africa (HAKSA) was initiated in 2007 
by Prof. Vicki Lambert of the University of Cape Town, South Africa 
(SA). �e idea arose a�er she attended an international conference 
on Physical Activity and Obesity in Children in Toronto, Canada, 
and witnessed the impact that the release of the Healthy Active Kids 
Canada Report Card had in that country. On her return, she garnered 
the support of nine enthusiastic scientists from six tertiary academic 
institutions in SA, convinced Discovery Vitality and the Sports 
Science Institute of SA that it was a worthwhile project to support, and 
together they produced the �rst HAKSA Report Card. Although this 
created media interest, it did not really translate into concerted action. 
Undeterred, the group repeated the exercise in 2010 – this time, there 
were 18 academics representing 10 institutions and NGOs. �e scope 
was widened to include peer-reviewed literature, dissertations and 
government reports. �e uptake this time was more promising, and 
the focus of the report was directed more toward intersectoral policies 
and programmes to try to e�ect change. In 2014, as part of the Global 
Summit on Physical Activity and Children, the team repeated their 
e�orts, this time with 21 scientists from 15 academic institutions 
and NGOs. �e additional outcomes of the 2014 report included an 
advocacy document and a peer-reviewed manuscript. �e impact of 
the report is also going to be evaluated. 

�ere are many good stories coming out of this initiative. Firstly, SA 
is one of 15 countries around the world that has started evaluating the 
world in which our youth live. Five of the countries are from Africa. 
Secondly, it seems that the outcomes of this report have pressed the 
right buttons, with promising signs that national, regional and local 
government along with NGOs have taken note and are starting to talk 
about ways in which they can contribute to raise the overall rating (we 
slid from a C– in 2010 to a D grade in 2014). 

�e report has also exposed many causes for concern – all the 
members of the SA Sports Medicine Association (SASMA) should 
take note because many of these areas are covered by the varied scope 
of practice of SASMA members. For example, almost half the children 
studied are insu�ciently active, getting <1 h/day of physical activity.
Sedentary behaviour remains a problem, with children spending just 

under 3 h/day watching television (we are nearly bottom of the list 
for this category compared with the other 14 countries). Overweight 
and obesity continue to increase, possibly linked to the fact that over 
two-thirds of adolescents consume fast foods at least three times per 
week. �ere is also a progressive increase in the consumption of sugar-
sweetened drinks.

However, it is not all doom and gloom. We achieved a high score 
(B) for the National School Nutrition Programme, where the reach 
has improved and more children are bene�tting from the programme. 
We also scored a B for the category of government strategies and 
investments, where it is evident that programmes have been developed 
to increase physical activity among children through various policies 
and investments. It just may take some time to realise the bene�ts of 
these investments and programmes.

�e report emphasises that much can be done to improve the health 
and wellbeing of our youth. Changes can be implemented at the level 
of the family, the community in which the child lives and in the school 
environment. �e report has identi�ed the weaker areas; now it is going 
to take creative thinking and a willingness to get involved to make a 
di�erence. Every health professional in the country should read the 
report; there is no doubt that a�er reading it there will be a heightened 

awareness of the problem areas. �e 
challenge thereafter is to embrace a 
problem area and try to make a change 
– a small change made by everyone will 
have a much bigger impact than a large 
change made by a few. �e full report 
can be viewed on the website of the 
Sports Science Institute of SA website 
(http://www.ssisa.com). 

Mike Lambert
Editor-in-chief

S Afr J SM 2014;26(3):67. DOI:10.7196/SAJSM.575

EDITORIAL