- Type 2 diabetes accounts for up to 45% of new diabetes cases among adolescents
worldwide.
- Kids need at least an hour a day of physical activity to ensure good health, according to
the findings of a CDC-backed expert panel.
- A government-funded study recently showed that children typically get less than 25
minutes of exercise a week in school-based physical education programs.
- The lack of opportunity for exercise during the school day is a big part of the problem. With
the increasing emphasis on raising test scores, physical education classes are
disappearing from the nation's middle and high schools and many elementary schools
have done away with recess.
- The panel presented evidence that physical activity actually helps children perform better
academically.
- The CDC recommends daily physical education from kindergarten through 12th grade.
But few schools comply, citing budget restrictions and increasing academic demands
which eat up the school day.
Information gathered from WebMD
Jennifer Warner and Salynn Boyles
