CDC Issues Youth Physical Activity Guidelines Toolkit
February 22, 2010 – Obesity rates among children have more than tripled in the last thirty years and one of the explanations offered for this drastic increase is the imbalance between caloric intake and expenditure.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 1969, 41% of students walked or biked to school; by 2001, only 13% of students did the same. In addition, the latest research shows that, in 2007 only 17% of 9 to 12 grade students said they were physically active at least 60 minutes per day, and among 9-13 year olds, only 39% said they participated in organized physical activity.
Not only does physical activity decrease the likelihood of developing obesity, it also decreases risk factors for diseases such as type 2 diabetes, and it may reduce anxiety and depression and promote positive mental health. Furthermore, a growing body of research is linking physical activity to academic achievement as it can improve concentration, memory and classroom behavior.
To help address the lacking physical activity in the U.S., in 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based recommendations to help persons six years or older improve their health through physical activity.
To promote the guidelines and physical activity among young people, the CDC and several partner organizations recently developed the Youth Physical Activity Guidelines Toolkit. The toolkit highlights specific strategies that schools, families, and communities can use to support youth physical activity. The toolkit can be used by community leaders; physical education and health education teachers; physical activity coordinators at the school, district and state levels; and physical activity practitioners working in health or community-based organizations.
The toolkit offers a user guide; fact sheets that outline the role of schools, families and communities in promoting youth physical activity; a poster to be active and play 60 minutes every day; and power point presentations also related to the role schools, families and communities play in promoting physical activity. In addition, the toolkit includes the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines released by HHS.
The toolkit can be accessed online, but free print copies can also be ordered. The print version includes a CD with print-ready files of all materials.
Source: CDC website.