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Childhood Obesity Skyrockets During Last 30 Years

www.picserver.org

Health officials say within the last 30 years  obesity has doubled  in children and has grown four times in adolescents.

23 million children and adolescents are obese, a number that has alarmed medical experts. Obesity is known to lead to heart, disease, diabetes, asthma and other maladies.

John Morgan works on a Center For Disease Control grant on obesity prevention through the state Health Services Department. He says key is  getting young people started early with habits of good nutrition and plenty of exercise...

"....the recommended guidelines are for their kids to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day. If you break that into 10 minute doses, that would be six doses of physical activity each day..."

Morgan says they're working with the Department of Public Instruction to try to get more physical activity for kids in schools...

".....five strategies to get kids more active in the school setting. One of those is active physical education where they're active more minutes during their P.E. class, active classrooms, where they take breaks during the day to be active, active recess or open gym and then before and after school activities...."

He says a majority of kids are spending at least three or more hours a day in front of a screen, with an additional two hours of TV time thrown in. He says parents should make sure the kids have been physically active for at least 60 minutes each day before they settle in for the screens and TV.

More information is available at this link https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/physical-activity/childcare.htm

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