Back-to-school time is a great time to teach kids how to make hearthealthy choices. The American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation formed the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to ensure that today’s generation of kids grows up healthy.
With more than 9 million children and adolescents age 6- 19 considered overweight or obese, according to the American Heart Association, the joint goal of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is to stop the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States by 2010 and to reduce childhood obesity rates by 2015.
While it’s important to focus on core subjects like science and math, we can’t forget the need to have comprehensive physical education (PE) programs in our schools. Not only will PE help combat the childhood obesity epidemic, it will stimulate the mind and motivate children to learn.
As Congress moves forward with the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), we must encourage lawmakers to support the Fitness Integrated With Teaching Kids Act (FIT Kids- HR 3257), federal legislation that would better integrate PE into NCLB. The bill would encourage schools to have quality PE programs and provide more detailed information and training to parents about supporting kids’ healthy lifestyles.
We’re facing an obesity epidemic that puts our children at greater risk of developing heart disease as adults. Without aggressive action, reports indicate that this could be the first generation of children that does not live as long as their parents. We need to find ways to incorporate more quality PE and Activity into our children’s lives. The FIT Kids Act would help us achieve that goal. I encourage all of New Jersey’s congressional delegation to cosponsor HR 3257 to help ensure a truly healthier generation.
Len Saunders
New Jersey volunteer and
spokesperson American Heart Association
Robbinsville