|
I have to admit, I am a C-Span watcher. Yes, I fall into that 2% of people who watch the deliberations of the United States Congress on television. The truly sad part is I will holler at the TV like most people do watching a sporting event. Comments like "That amendment was germane," "Call the vote" and various other remarks. I'm not proud of it, but admitting it is the first step. Recently, while watching the House of Representatives, they have a portion dedicated to one minute or two minute remarks by elected officials and they generally use these remarks to preface the introduction of a bill. One such bill was being introduced to mandate physical education classes and mandatory testing in physical education as part of the No Child Left Behind Act. Now, I know from my time there this bill is likely DOA due to pressure by school administrators, school boards, and other educational entities who are saddled with the costs of these mandates. For good or bad, this is the reality. Since we have established that I'm a bit of a geek, hopefully nobody will be surprised by the fact that I found the bill on line and decided to read it. I'd like to share some statistics from this bill and hopefully you too will realize why we need to act and act soon. Obesity-related diseases cost the United 11 States economy more than $100,000,000,000 every
year. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that, by 2010, 20 percent of children and youth in the United States will be obese. Look at five kids and know that one of them will be obese. Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults, increasing their risk for chronic disease, disability, and death. Of all United States deaths from major chronic disease, 23 percent are linked to sedentary lifestyles that now begin at childhood. This is not some "pie-in-the-sky" prediction. These statistics come from the government agencies that have the experts to track and run valid models to predict these numbers. As parents, community members, educators and others is this what we want for our children? The truly sad part is we know the cure. We know how to fix this problem. this is not like some unknown or new disease. The solution is in front of us and within us. We can fix this, it just takes the will. A decline in physical activity has contributed to the unprecedented epidemic of childhood obesity. Part of the decline in physical activity has been in our Nation’s schools, where physical education programs have been cut back in the past two decades. Between 1991 and 2003, enrollment of high school students in daily Physical Education classes fell from 41.6 percent to 28.4 percent. Approximately 81 percent of adults believe daily physical education should be mandatory in schools So why the disconnect? Want to learn more about this bill ways to help eliminate obesity in children? contact me
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
P.S. I promise my next post will not be so severe.
Trackback(0)
 |
For the past 10 years, Dan has dedicated himself to representing public education before congress while advancing the legislative priorities of educators around the country. In this role, Dan has worked on complex education policies including the education of children with disabilities and school health policies. Combining years of public policy work with his life long focus on education, Dan is now the Executive Director of My Fitness 1st, an organization dedicated to eliminating childhood obesity. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News, in the Wall Street journal, Time Magazine, New York Times and other national and local media outlets. 
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Enlyten Strips are unique strips that use advanced technology to deliver nutrients to your body faster and more effectively with reduced side effects. By creating a dual layer strip, Enlyten is able to provide superior nutraceutical products to consumers. Enlyten Strips are available in a variety of formulas including Appetite Suppressant, Calorie Burner, Antioxidants, Electrolytes Plus, Energy and Melatonin Plus. 
Jump off the pounds in a snap with America’s first ropeless jump rope system! Now you can get all the benefits of jumping rope without the rope — making it ideal for any fitness level, young or old. Engage all your major muscle groups to burn 100 calories every 5 minutes! Lose weight and tone up faster with JumpSnap! 