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Indianapolis Star
Even though the United States is seeing an increase in the number of children who are putting on additional, unhealthy weight, children want to learn how to play new sports and be physically fit. Health educators who participate in the more than 200 National Youth Sports Programs around the country see this desire every year with the thousands of children who attend these five-week summer programs. The experience provides children opportunities to learn new sports and skills, as well as information about healthy living. The federal government started this program 35 years ago to encourage students to be physically active and now it is at four Indiana institutions -- Purdue, University of Indianapolis, Marian College and University of Notre Dame -- teaching children the meaning of healthy living. Based on the pre- and post-medical tests children in the Purdue program receive, we know they are getting fit. Reasons for the childhood obesity epidemic are obvious: junk food and more time spent in front of the television and computer. Children aren't playing outdoors enough. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 15 percent of U.S. children were overweight in 2002, and this number jumps to more than 20 percent for both African-American and Mexican-American youth between the ages of 6 and 19. To change this trend, parents and teachers can use the National Youth Sports Program as a model to encourage their children to be active, fit and healthy. The first step is simple: Adults must provide an opportunity to play. Beyond watching a movie or TV as a family take time to exercise together. Go for a walk, bike ride, play badminton or volleyball in the back yard. At Purdue we set up activity stations at least 10 minutes apart in walking distance so campers are guaranteed 60 minutes of walking every day. At home parents can consciously park far from store entrances and make a game out of taking the longest route to the store, restaurant or movie theater. Use stairs instead of elevators. Buy a pedometer and create a contest of who can walk the farthest during the week. We adults just might get more fit, too. Initiatives such as National Youth Sports Program are crucial to making a difference in children's health. However, the program only reaches nearly 80,000 children a year, so we all need to be part of building more active lives.
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