Let’s fitten up our kids                                 

            We Americans have been fattening up our children. If we don’t reverse the trend we will not only destroy their lives but their livelihoods as well. Obese persons earn less and die sooner than their normal-weight counterparts. Our great-grandparents almost never had type 2 diabetes; their great-great grandchildren often encounter it in their teen years. Its complications strike while they are in their 20s and 30s, sometimes earlier. Fifty-year old amputees will be dropped off at the local kidney dialysis center by their somewhat healthier parents who used to drop them off at school.

            If the United States military services are ever called upon to draft a fighting force, the pickings will be pretty poor. Barely one-quarter of draft-age persons can pass the armed forces physical qualifications. In Last child in the woods, author Richard Louv notes that 40 percent of boys and 70 percent of girls age 6-17 years are unable to do more than one pull-up.

            The American Heart Association recommends that all children partake in at least 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity every day. By the time the average child reaches the age of 15 he or she spends only about 49 minutes engaged in that level of activity on weekdays. On weekends it’s only 35 minutes. In contrast, that same 15-year-old spends 8 ½ hours every day in front of a screen – TV, video game or smart phone. It’s no wonder that the nation’s orthopedic physicians are encountering a new type of repetitive stress injury – texting thumb!

            It’s time to become aggressive about making our children more fit. Why should parents drive a child to school if the distance is less than a couple of miles? Safety might be a concern but one parent can escort several children and get a great workout in the process. Eliminating dodge ball during recess might seem like a poor decision but there are plenty of other active children’s games that burn energy without risk. Parental control includes limiting screen time when the child is at home, especially if that screen-free time is spent riding a bike, playing basketball or simply taking a daily hike through the neighborhood. That escort duty can also be shared by several parents.

            The decline of the youngest generation’s fitness and the mounting complications of obesity have been creeping up on us too slowly to grab our attention. And that’s the danger.