The American Heart Association has applauded a federal government program that makes it easier for schools to promote physical fitness. The AHA called the new Physical Education for Progress (PEP) program "an important step to improving the overall health and fitness of the nation's youth by allowing local physical education programs the opportunity to better promote physically active lifestyles and appropriate disease prevention activities."
The PEP program establishes grants to help schools start, expand, and improve physical education (PE) programs for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. They can use the funds to buy equipment, hire or train PE staff, and support other programs to help students participate in PE activities.
The new guidelines emphasizing PE come at a time when government data show that 10% of children are overweight or obese and 1 in 5 children is at risk of being overweight. The number of overweight children has doubled over the past 15 years, and 70% of overweight children will be overweight and obese adults. Most of the increase has taken place in recent years; only 5.8% were overweight in the early 1970's. Studies show that this trend is associated more with low levels of physical activity than with increased food consumption.
The PEP program establishes grants to help schools start, expand, and improve physical education (PE) programs for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. They can use the funds to buy equipment, hire or train PE staff, and support other programs to help students participate in PE activities.
The new guidelines emphasizing PE come at a time when government data show that 10% of children are overweight or obese and 1 in 5 children is at risk of being overweight. The number of overweight children has doubled over the past 15 years, and 70% of overweight children will be overweight and obese adults. Most of the increase has taken place in recent years; only 5.8% were overweight in the early 1970's. Studies show that this trend is associated more with low levels of physical activity than with increased food consumption.
