Good Neighbors Launches "Move Now!" Campaign to Promote Children's Right to Health

Good Neighbors, a global NGO specializing in children's rights, will launch the "Move Now!" campaign to promote children's right to health on June 9.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the current state of children's physical and mental health and provides practical guidelines for obesity prevention, sleep health, mental well-being, and reducing sedentary lifestyles, helping to encourage healthy changes in daily life. To further spread these practices, Good Neighbors has partnered with the Korea Health Promotion Institute to organize the "National Health Practice Challenge." Participants can join health missions by searching for "Move Now!" on the mobile walking app WalkOn. The challenge will run from June 9 to July 30, and various prizes will be awarded by lottery to participants who submit photo verifications.

The campaign also includes policy proposals and a petition to support the healthy growth of children. The main points are: strengthening institutional support for the formation of healthy lifestyle habits among children; expanding school- and community-based child health programs and infrastructure; and reinforcing public policies for children at high risk of obesity and mental health issues. Anyone can participate in the petition through the Good Neighbors website or in-person campaigns at 29 local branches nationwide. The collected signatures will later be submitted to the government and the National Assembly.

Kim Gyuha, Head of the Child Rights Advocacy Team at Good Neighbors, stated, "There is an urgent need for a societal effort to create an environment in which our children can grow up healthy in both body and mind," and added, "Good Neighbors will continue to support children so that they can become the protagonists of healthy lives through small actions in their daily routines."

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's "2023 Comprehensive Survey on Children," the obesity rate among children aged 9 to 17 is 14.3%, which is more than four times higher than in 2018 (3.4%). The average time spent sitting on weekdays increased from 524 minutes to 636 minutes, while average daily sleep decreased from 8.29 hours to 7.93 hours. The proportion of children at high risk of mental health issues, who have experienced severe stress and depression, was 4.9%. According to the National Health Insurance Service's report on "Depression and Anxiety Disorders among Children and Adolescents," over the past five years, 53,070 children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 received treatment for depression and 28,510 for anxiety disorders, showing a sharp increase compared to 2018.