We are facing a childhood obesity epidemic. The Department of Health and Human Services forecasts that, three years from now, one out of five children and youth in the United States will be obese. Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults, putting these young people increased risk for heart disease, stroke and other diseases into adulthood. Yet, at the same time, schools are cutting back on physical education: from 1991 to 2003, enrollment of high school students in daily PE classes fell from 41.6 percent to 28.4 percent. This means that fewer children are learning about healthy lifestyles, and fewer are physically active during the school day. It also means that their ability to learn is impaired, since scientific research has demonstrated that children’s health has an impact on academic achievement.

It is imperative that our kids take part in regular physical activity and learn to live healthier lifestyles, in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

American Heart Association.