Our Priority: Improve the health of Kentucky's children. Click here to learn more!
Our Priority: Assure that all Kentuckian's have access to high quality, affordable health care. Click here to learn more!
Our Priority: Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care for Kentuckians. Click here to learn more!
Our Priority: Make prevention a priority for Kentucky's health policies and programs. Click here to learn more!
Kentucky Voices: Promoting Better Health in the Commonwealth. A series of short videos from real Kentuckians - patients, advocates and providers - sharing their personal healthcare stories. Click here to watch videos!

Childhood Inactivity: Early Steps Needed to Prevent a Growing Problem

« Back

Mar 14th, 2010

Childhood Inactivity: Early Steps Needed to Prevent a Growing Problem

Public News Service-KY

 

Health advocates in Kentucky are taking on a new foe: childhood inactivity. The question is, what to do about it? It's not as simple as one plus one, but experts say inactivity plus an increase in calories equals chronic childhood ailments, like obesity and diabetes. Stemming these epidemics is no easy task, according to some experts who say early intervention is a good place to start.

Joan Buchar, program officer for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, supports legislation being debated by the Kentucky General Assembly that relates to physical activity during the school day.

"The activity level is burning calories, and when you get down to the obesity problem, it's eat better and move more."

She says the benefits of regular physical activity are well-documented, and that several other states already have taken steps to assist schools in making kids more active. Rather than physical activity being an added burden for schools, Buchar says teachers can motivate children by combining subjects and content with physical fitness activities.

"Schools can have walking clubs; a program called Take Ten, which incorporates physical activity into content area classes; teachers that will come early and work with kids who come to school early before classes start."

Results of a 2009 health issues poll say that 87 percent of those surveyed strongly favored requiring schools to provide 30 minutes a day of physical activity or physical education to Kentucky students.

 

Read the full poll results here.

« Back

View All »

Coalition Partners