Helping To Raise Healthier Kids (NAPSA)—Schools and parents are working together to help keep kids fit and in good health. That’s why there’s now a new program to try to show kids how to avoid joining the nearly one in three Americans between 6 and 19 who are overweight. In fact, the U.S. has one of the highest obesity rates of any indus- trialized country. This is affecting kids’ health not just later in life, but right now. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, poor fitness in young adults is associated with the development of cardiovasculardis- Dr. Donald Bergman of the Ameri- can Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and his daugh- ter Melissa teach her 6th grade classroom the importance of physical activity and making healthy food choices. ease risk factors. In addition, 70 Activity, which outlines how phys- According to the Department of Health and Human Services, get kids up and running: percent of overweight teens could becomeobeseadults. treating obesity-related illnesses and complications addsbillions of dollars to the nation’s health care costs. Prevention, however, is a better investment, and that means teaching children healthy habits as early as grade school. Now 6th graders across the country are the fortunate targets of a major outreach addressing nutrition andfitness. Power of Prevention through Fitness and Nutrition is part of an ongoing initiative by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) to combat the childhood obesity epidemic and encourage students to maintain healthy lifestyles. The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports has partnered with AACE to produce an impor- tant component of the project, a handout called Rx for Physical ical activity can be incorporated into children’s lives. Here are sometips on how to Get a dog or, rather, get your youngsters a dog. Walking the dog means walking themselves. Look for ways your children can get exercise outside of orga- nized team competition. For exam- ple, hiking, fencing and martial arts may hold some appeal for kids who aren't into basketball or soccer. The important thing is to get them up and moving rather than slumped in front of the television set. e Set a good example. Your kids learn from you; if they never see you engaging in some form of exer- cise, or if they see you eating a lot of unhealthy foods, they'll receive the wrongsignals. e Make healthy snacks—such as carrots and ranch dressing— available when kids come home from school hungry. Learn more at www.powerof prevention.com.
