Two beats one

May 11, 2008 08:45 pm

— Two hours a week for fitness isn’t much, but perhaps, it will be enough for some youths to develop better health habits. The Legislature passed and Gov. Brad Henry signed last week Senate Bill 1186 that increases the amount of class time devoted to physical activity and nutrition programs to 120 minutes a week in kindergarten through fifth-grade public classrooms.
An increasing trend among youths toward being overweight drove support for the bill.
In the last 28 years the percentage of overweight Oklahoma children has more than doubled, and the rate for teens has tripled. Experts say that 15 percent of Oklahoma teenagers are severely overweight or obese, which is a 300 percent increase in the last two decades.
Obesity can lead to many health problems, and obesity in youth has the potential to lead to years and years of health problems.
Obesity also affects more than the quality of life for those who are overweight. We’ve discovered that increases in health problems in the general population leads to strains on our already overworked health care system and increases insurance rates for all.
Of course, the home is where nutrition discipline should begin, and parents should encourage their children to be physically active.
That isn’t happening in enough homes, so Oklahoma must take steps to curb the increasing trend toward obesity.
Schools are a logical place to begin impressing a lifetime of good health habits.