BHF'S New Kids Website Goes Live
- But Don't Stay For Too Long!

A new British Heart Foundation (BHF) website aimed at children under 11 has just gone live and it has a novel twist - visitors are encouraged not to stay online too long. After a short period browsing the site, cbhf.net, a message pops up suggesting the child stops surfing and does something active.

This means children can learn loads about their hearts, and still put into practice the lessons they have learned. With obesity in children a major issue in the UK - one in three girls and one in four boys are overweight or obese at 10-years-old - the BHF wants to encourage youngsters to enjoy as much exercise as possible.

cbhf has been designed to make learning about your heart fun. Much of the site features the charity's kids' mascot, Artie Beat, including an interactive game, Artie Beat Vs the Bad Snax, where players have to zap the unhealthy foods before they can land on their plate. One Artie Beat club member who got a sneak preview of the game, said: "I like your new Bad Snax game - it is cool and it rocks!"

Kids can also browse 'Artie's Gallery', where the best drawings sent in are displayed, and check out the fun recipes for healthy foods in the 'Healthy Eating' section.

Nicki Cooper, Head of Education at the British Heart Foundation, says: "Your heart is the busiest and most important part of your body and learning about how to keep it healthy can be fun. There's loads of stuff to do on cbhf, but don't get too addicted - we want you to get out and exercise too!"

'Ask Prof' is a section where children can ask questions, from what foods are best to how smoking damages your body. As people in the UK are more likely to die from coronary heart disease than anything else, this could prove a really useful facility for children worried about their parents or grandparents.

The site also features regular competitions and jokes under 'Fun Stuff' and a quarterly electronic newsletter, 'Artie's News'. And when they get older, the youngsters can progress on to the BHF's new website for over 11s, yheart.net.

It might seem too early for children to worry about getting heart disease themselves, but research suggests habits formed in childhood are likely to continue into adulthood. Childhood obesity is on the rise, with children spending more time indoors and less time participating in physical activity. Around a third of children in England aged 5-10 do not do the recommended level of at least an hour's physical activity a day.

At the same time, children may be tempted to eat more fast foods and less fresh fruit and vegetables. This lifestyle could lead to coronary heart disease in later life - which kills 117,000 people every year. That's why the BHF wants to get children interested in their heart health and encourage them to do more to keep their hearts pumping for longer.