A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association has everyone talking about the Childhood Obesity epidemic. The study, "concluded that childhood obesity hit a plateau from 1999 to 2006," (NY Times). It is too soon to tell (a mere two years out) if this will be a full-fledged plateau, or merely a dip in a longer-term spike. But levelling off or not, 32% of young americans are currently overweight or obese (NY Times).
America SCORES Denver & other programs that get students active in the after-school hours can act as powerful buffers against this issue facing our youth.
The authors of a study on childhood obesity conducted through Yale University concluded that participation in after school may help in controlling childhood obesity for three reasons. “First…much of a child’s overeating & related sedentary behavior (e.g., watching television) occurs during non-school hours…. Second, children experience high levels of enjoyment when participating in after school activities. Compared to obesity reduction approaches that emphasize passive health education or require children to give up negative habits concerning food & activity choices, after school programs…may be more palatable.” Our program makes fitness & healthy choices way more than just palatable. Students in our program move toward fitness because they love what they are doing --playing.
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