Comments on: Spending time outdoors in the sun stops myopia, according to Australian research study http://redsports.sg/2009/01/07/sunlight-myopia/ Red Sports - Telling the Singapore Sports Story. Thu, 10 May 2012 03:57:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: les http://redsports.sg/2009/01/07/sunlight-myopia/comment-page-1/#comment-31813 les Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:37:30 +0000 http://redsports.sg/?p=12160#comment-31813 Hi Jimmy, Yes. It's a challenge to let our kids play. I realised part of the challenge is the way we have structured our environment. There is now little or no chance to let your children wander free and play outdoors because of the urban set up. So the obesity and myopia problem is a self-constructed one. I notice too that our national age group and senior footballers also tend to get into problems with diarrhoea when they travel. Not sure if it's related but I guess the general level of ruggedness has dropped. Hi Jimmy,

Yes. It’s a challenge to let our kids play. I realised part of the challenge is the way we have structured our environment. There is now little or no chance to let your children wander free and play outdoors because of the urban set up.

So the obesity and myopia problem is a self-constructed one.

I notice too that our national age group and senior footballers also tend to get into problems with diarrhoea when they travel. Not sure if it’s related but I guess the general level of ruggedness has dropped.

]]> By: Jimmy http://redsports.sg/2009/01/07/sunlight-myopia/comment-page-1/#comment-31811 Jimmy Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:16:26 +0000 http://redsports.sg/?p=12160#comment-31811 Your article says it all, most Singaporean parents and caregivers (grandparents and maids) are kiasu and the number of hours the kids spent in schools is also a contributing factor. I have lived in New Zealand for many years (married to a New Zealander) and have observed many differences between our kids and theirs. They are very active outdoors instead of spending time on PSPs or pc games, their parents do not load them with tuition and enrichment classes, the caregivers do not say discouraging things like "don't run or you will fall and hurt yourself", the schools do not hold the kids back after school hours and the parents are actively involved with their kids in sports during weekends. On Saturday mornings, I see kids learning a sport like rugby or cricket, coached by either parents or professional coaches and you know why New Zealand (with a population similar to Singapore) is so successful in these sports. They let their kids "PLAY". Your article says it all, most Singaporean parents and caregivers (grandparents and maids) are kiasu and the number of hours the kids spent in schools is also a contributing factor. I have lived in New Zealand for many years (married to a New Zealander) and have observed many differences between our kids and theirs. They are very active outdoors instead of spending time on PSPs or pc games, their parents do not load them with tuition and enrichment classes, the caregivers do not say discouraging things like “don’t run or you will fall and hurt yourself”, the schools do not hold the kids back after school hours and the parents are actively involved with their kids in sports during weekends. On Saturday mornings, I see kids learning a sport like rugby or cricket, coached by either parents or professional coaches and you know why New Zealand (with a population similar to Singapore) is so successful in these sports. They let their kids “PLAY”.

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