Why are Barack Obama, world-renowned athletes and public health practitioners joining forces?
The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition on Thursday released revised guidelines for physical activity among young people. Photo by fitness.gov
Making young people healthier nationwide, as the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition documented Thursday with the release of its mid-course report on the nation’s physical activity guidelines . The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report followed its 2008 initiative for institutional fitness interventions to help Americans aged 6 and older improve their health and lower their risk of disease — a prescription that included 60 minutes or more of daily aerobic activity for children and adolescents.
A 16-person committee helped author the revised guidelines, co-chaired by NFL quarterback Drew Brees and U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Dominique Dawes. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, discussed key findings in the four years since the previous report and recommendations for new physical activity policies with a “multi-component approach.”
“We looked at schools; preschool and childcare centers; primary care, family and home, and community settings,” Lavizzo-Mourey said. “We do know that 55 million youths are enrolled in school, and yet the amount of activity is not nearly what it could be in school settings. Daily [physical education] is provided in only 4 percent of elementary schools, 8 percent of middle schools and 2 percent of high schools.”
Specific findings and recommendations centered on five core principles, including:
- school settings hold a realistic and evidence-based opportunity to increase physical activity among youth;
- preschool and childcare centers that serve young children are in important setting in which to enhance physical activity;
- changes involving the built environment and multiple sectors are promising and merit implementation;
- media campaigns and technologies that help youth regard physical activity as a desirable and fun thing are valuable strategies to consider; and
- more research is needed to promote increased physical activity among youths.
The full report, “Strategies to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth,” is available online.
