Are American children healthy? The consensus is no, and the statistical analyses are troubling -- to say the least. The rate of U.S. childhood obesity has tripled since the 1970s, and a third of American children are now overweight or obese. With this crisis in mind, President Obama recently launched his second annual "Childhood Obesity Awareness Month" campaign that urges all Americans to take action to promote healthy eating and physical fitness habits. Developing awareness is an important step, but immediate solutions are needed to reverse this trend.
Forty years ago, 48 percent of U.S. children biked or walked to school. Today, just 12 percent of children arrive at school by bike or on foot. The benefits haven't changed over time. Students who regularly bike or walk to school accumulate an average of 24 minutes per day of physical activity. More importantly, biking can help children create a healthy future. Overweight adolescents who participate in bicycling three to four days per week are 85 percent more likely to become healthy-weight adults.
Our children are growing up in an increasingly sedentary culture, and physical education programs are being cut from schools across the country. Encouraging biking is one simple, immediate way we can help. I am the leader of a national movement that promotes the lifelong benefits of bicycling, Peopleforbikes.org. Our goal is simple: Get more people riding bikes more often. I strongly encourage parents to hop on their bikes and encourage their kids to do the same.
Bicycling provides a variety of benefits that go far beyond gains in personal physical fitness, but its role in improving the health of children is a key asset and a worthy -- essential -- cause. Biking is an easy way for children to stay active, and allow tomorrow's leaders to thrive for years to come.
Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: Childhood | DNPAO | CDC
Childhood Obesity Facts - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Childhood obesity - MayoClinic.com
Presidential Proclamation--National Childhood Obesity Awareness ...
I've been noticing a couple of things, (amongst many I might add, biking provides a completely different experience in commuting then driving a car)
1. People are at least starting to ride bicycles again, and it needs to be done more (and more).
2. The vast majority of people I see riding bikes, are adults. Most of them my age group. Very few preteens riding bikes in my neck of the woods.
Times really have changed, and lot of them have not been for the better. Guess it's more fun to watch TV or play video games. But they miss out on so much..............