Why Project Fit America is Needed
What the Studies Show: U.S.
Surgeon General's Report on Obesity
- Over twenty million children are overweight by an average of 8.3 pounds.
- Childhood obesity has tripled since 1980.
- One in six American children are classified as physically underdeveloped.
- More than half the girls and one quarter of the boys ages 6-17 cannot run a mile faster than walking.
- Seventy percent of girls in this age group cannot do more than one pull up, and fifty five percent of the boys cannot do even one.
- Forty percent of American children aged 5-8 years show one or more risk factors of heart disease including: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and low cardiovascular endurance.
This lack of fitness and health awareness in children contributes to many problems cited by schoolteachers. Examples cited include, but are not limited to:
- Lack of self-esteem in children, which contributes to poor choices.
- Aggressive behavior in children, which contributes to classroom disruptions and playground fights.
- Experimenting with unsafe diet practices (fasting, diet pills, anabolic steroids).
The July 1996 Report by the U.S. Surgeon General on Physical Activity and Health states: Nearly half the young people 12-21 years of age are not vigorously active, moreover, physical activity sharply declines during adolescence. Childhood may thus be a pivotal time for preventing sedentary behavior among adults by maintaining the habit of physical activity throughout school years. Every effort should be made to encourage schools to require daily physical education in each grade to promote physical activities that can be enjoyed throughout life.
News articles in publications such as Newsweek, Fat for Life?, Generation XXL
- The Government estimates 6 million American children are now fat enough to endanger their health
- An additional 5 million are on the threshold and the problem is growing even more extreme as it becomes more widespread.
- Ten years ago the medical community found that type 2 Diabetes did not occur until after 40 years of age; now, 30% of pediatric patients are type 2.
In addition, every year over 930,000 Americans suffer heart attacks. These adults were fitter as children than our children are today. Heart disease is this nation's number one killer, with one in four Americans showing risk factors. Furthermore, the obesity epidemic has become a critical health problem, second only to tobacco. These are preventable health problems, which are costing taxpayers over $100 billion per year.