Pushing physical education

Editorial

Childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years. One of every three children or teenagers is overweight or at risk of being overweight.

Too many kids are sedentary. Too many parents are too tired from long days at work to prepare healthful meals. Too many of us are gaining girth because we're too lazy to work out.

The obesity "epidemic" will soon overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, says William R. Gower Jr., a professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of South Florida College of Medicine and a longtime volunteer with the American Heart Association in Florida.

This risk to Americans' fiscal and physical health motivated first lady Michelle Obama to form her Task Force on Childhood Obesity, and preventing obesity has become an urgent policy priority of the heart association, which is lobbying lawmakers to change laws that make it too easy for kids to avoid physical activity.

Many of us can remember when playtime in elementary school was mandatory. Every day we had to exercise unless we were sick. We spent more time on team sports in middle school and took physical education classes through the 12{+t}{+h} grade.

Not so anymore. Kids are still required to take PE, but parents can pull them from physical activity for a myriad of reasons.

The heart association wants to change that. It is seeking to remove the "waiver option" that makes it easy for elementary school students to opt out of PE.

This is a good idea. Kids need exercise. They need time outside playing. They need action.

Removing the waiver wouldn't prevent kids with legitimate health reasons - asthma or a heart or other physical condition - from skipping gym class. But most kids would have the chance to learn to eat and exercise properly.

Now some would say this is just another advancement of the nanny state. But it's just like any other school requirement. We have expectations of our children, and one should be that they learn to be physically fit.

Countless studies show a connection between increased cardiovascular health and rising test scores. Other studies have linked obesity to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and other health problems - costing the country $147 billion a year. The fiscal impact alone should encourage lawmakers to remove the PE waiver.

Other legislative priorities of the heart association also have considerable merit. The organization hopes to make it easier for schools or school districts to enter into joint use agreements with communities and/or nonprofit groups that would allow residents to use a school's recreational facilities after hours for exercise. This is already happening in some parts of the state, but the heart association would like to see it in all school districts. Liability is an issue, but it's an issue that can be worked out.

Also, the organization is lobbying to expand the Fresh-2-U program that promotes positive eating habits by teaching kids about Florida-grown fruits and vegetables. It is in about 10 percent of Florida's elementary schools, but it should be available to all kids in grades K through five.

A healthy lifestyle is something to strive for, but too many kids don't know how to get there. PE matters.