Ron Jaworski Testimony: Childhood Obesity 'Startling,' 'Gimme 60 Minutes!'

WASHINGTON — "Monday Night Football" analyst Ron Jaworski told Congress on Wednesday that childhood obesity levels in the U.S. are "startling" and that kids need to get more exercise to help stem the epidemic.

Jaworski, a former NFL quarterback, testified on behalf of both his United Way Jaws Youth Fund in New Jersey and NFL Play 60, a campaign that encourages youth to be active for at least 60 minutes a day.

"Gimme 60 minutes!" he said, making his points in the same animated way he dissects a blitz on TV. "I'm not saying take four hours a day, but find a way to get off the couch and gimme that 60 minutes."

Jaworski spoke at a House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee hearing, along with witnesses from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Pediatricians, among others. They painted a dire picture in which about one-third of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese.

"The facts surrounding childhood obesity in this country are startling," Jaworski told the panel.

Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, said he was concerned that some parents and kids might think that only structured, team-oriented sports are worthwhile.

Jaworski said that while the name NFL Play 60 might sound like a team-oriented campaign, "It's real simple: 60 minutes. It could be a walk in the park, it could be a ride on your bicycle. It does not have to be an organized team activity. ... Be as creative as you want, but find a way to get your exercise in."

Jaworski posed for photos with some lawmakers and signed autographs for staffers.

In an interview, Jaworski said he's been involved in the issue since 1989, when he fought a proposal in New Jersey to stop requiring gym classes in public high schools.

"At that time, all the computer games were coming into play and the term 'couch potato' was coming into play," Jaworski said. "Kids weren't getting activity. They need activity to be productive."

Comments

[CDMelty]

05:04 PM on 12/16/2009

PE is a joke. For one thing, they learn bowling and archery in PE. How is that activity? For another, we've had PE mandatory for quite a while and the obesity problem is still growing, so it's obviously not working. What PE does accomplish, though, is publicly humiliate kids by making them get naked in front of other kids, humiliate non-athletic kids, and bring down hard-earned GPAs by grading on such things as natural ability and stamina. School is supposed to be a place for learning, not for exercise. Want to teach healthy habits replace gym class with a nutrition class. How many kids actually know how many miles it takes to walk off a twinkie? Calisthenics and sports don't help that.

[zull2]

04:25 PM on 12/16/2009

Not so much though about the incredibly unhealthy chemicals food manufacturers are adding as filler into food targeted at kids, though.

We feed our dogs far, far better than we feed our kids. Typical dog food has less filler ingredients than things like fruit juice. Dog food has more protein and vitamins pound for pound, far more, than Mac n' Cheese, pizza, or any of the foods that latchkey kids typically are stuck making for themselves. The average sugar consumption is absolutely ridiculous. A candy bar or two a week is reasonable. 3 a day is insane. 5, 6 sugar filled sodas a day? That's trying pretty hard to get diabetes. The companies that make this stuff are stuck in the profit cycle, but the bottom line is that a kid who is inundated with ads about candy bars and broccoli is going to take candy bars every time (unless they REALLY like broccoli). You can't out and out ban kids from buying the bad stuff, parents can't apparently stop it if they're both at work, so all we can do is look towards the food manufacturers to stop mass producing the bad stuff and start mass producing healthier foods.