Children given answer to cancer and obesity

Children can be placed in a quite a quandary when warned to keep out of the sun to avoid potential skin cancer problems later in life yet play outdoors to prevent obesity, says Mark Glynn – an Australian who has a practical solution to this somewhat perplexing problem. Mark, who manufactures sun-protective swim and leisure wear, says children have been warned all their lives that too much sun can cause skin cancer. They have been warned only more recently that not exercising enough can cause obesity.

“Fear of skin cancer is one reason many children choose or are encouraged to stay indoors,” he says. “But indoors they often spend too much time playing computer games and watching television while eating too much junk food without exercising enough.

“No wonder childhood obesity has become such a common disorder and a serious issue worldwide.”

Skin cancer has become more prevalent over the years in many countries, especially in Australia with its warm, sunny weather and many beaches and swimming pools.

The Cancer Council of NSW says one in 24 males and one in 35 females will develop melanoma by the age of 75. It says melanoma rates are significantly higher in coastal regions.

Unprotected exposure to the sun in the first 15 years of life more than doubles the chances of getting skin cancer later in life, the council says.

The NSW Health says recent studies estimate that 67 per cent of Australian men and 52 per cent of Australian women, aged 25 years and over, are overweight or obese.

It says that over the last 20 years, rates of obesity in children have risen greatly in many countries around the world.

Similar statistics on cancer and obesity apply to other states of Australia.
Mark Glynn, who lives in Sydney, says he manufactures one solution to both problems of skin cancer and obesity among children.

He is managing director of C Wear Australia Pty Ltd, which operates a clothing factory in Newcastle, NSW.

“We make sun-protective clothing offering SPF 50-plus ultraviolet protection from the sun,” he says. “Our C Wear range of swimwear wears well and keeps its shape and colour all summer and beyond because it is strongly stitched and made from chlorine resistant polyester fabric. “So it keeps protecting the skin from the sun and looking smart and attractive long after ordinary fabric has stretched, torn and worn thin, lost its shape and some of its protective properties and also lost its appeal to kids to wear.”

Both the C Wear clothing and the fabric, which are 100 per cent Australian made, are endorsed by the Skin & Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Mark says the protective clothing comes with his company’s assurance that children wearing it with a little sun lotion on exposed skin and sunglasses when necessary, are quite safe to play in the sunshine.

“It gives them freedom to play happily and safely on beaches and at swimming pools and other outdoor locations – to avoid sunburn and enjoy activities which are vital to their health and development.

“Our clothing is designed not only to protect children but to appeal to them visually so that they are pleased to wear it.”

The children’s clothing includes a wide range of styles with matching hats, tops and shorts.

C Wear Australia Pty Ltd is at Unit 1/5 Metro Court, Gateshead, NSW, 2290; phone 02 4946 2344, email sales@cwear.com.au, web www.cwear.com.au .

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Photos to illustrate this story can be downloaded at http://www.wbpublicity.com.au/cwear/cw.htm .

Media contact: Mark Glynn, Manager, C Wear Australia Pty Ltd, phone 0418 219 505, 4946 2344 or 9416 7111; email mark@cwear.com.au .