JAKARTA - Marking 30 years of travel with Indonesian families, Sun Life Indonesia has again launched the Hoops + Health program in collaboration with Beyond Sport. This series of programs began by donating basketball equipment to 30 schools in a number of areas. This initiative reinforces Sun Life's commitment to support the growth of younger people who are more active, healthy, and competitive.
Data from Active Health Kids Global Alliance 2022 reveals that only less than 20 percent of children and adolescents aged 617 years in Asia, including Indonesia, which fulfills recommendations for daily physical activity of at least 60 minutes. Indonesia itself gets an F for the overall category of physical activity, showing the urgency of wider access to sports facilities.
In fact, low levels of activity in children have a risk to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, mental health challenges, and other bad effects as adults.
The prevalence of obesity in Indonesia has increased significantly in recent years. Recent data show that around 1 in 3 adults in Indonesia are obese, with increasing numbers. The Ministry of Health's report noted that the prevalence of obesity in adults reached 21.8% in 2018 and increased to 28.7% in 2023. This fact further strengthens the importance of initiatives that encourage active lifestyles from an early age.
Kah Jing Lee as Sun Life Indonesia's Chief Client Officer stated, as part of the company's 30th anniversary celebration, his party wants to make a real impact on Indonesia's future.
"Through Hoops + Health, we want to ensure that every Indonesian child has the opportunity to move, play, and grow into a healthy and confident person. This is in line with our commitment to building a healthier community wherever we are," he said, in a written statement, Friday, May 16.
Through the Hoops + Health program, Sun Life Indonesia not only provides equipment donations such as basketball, basketball rings, vests, and cones, but also provides a Training of Trainers (ToT) program to train community-based coaches. This effort aims to create a sustainable impact, ensuring more children get guidance for healthy and active living.
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Launched in 2023, Hoops + Health is a regional initiative that uses basketball to improve the physical and mental health of children and adolescents in six Asian countries: Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore.
The program focuses on three main pillars, namely increasing access to physical activity through revitalizing sports facilities and donating basketball equipment, encouraging community engagement by training community coaches and strengthening sports-based health education programs, and inspiring the younger generation by providing more free basketball training sessions for children and adolescents.
"Ensuring a brighter future for future generations requires support from all parties, and we want to take a role in making a positive impact. Sun Life has invested CAD 2.5 million with a target of reaching more than 45,000 children in Asia by the end of 2025," concluded Kah Jing.
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