According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity now affects 17 percent of all children and adolescents in the United States. Research shows that childhood obesity puts kids at greater risk for health problems—including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease—and, once a child enters school, can undermine classroom and overall lifetime success. Encouraging new research indicates we are making some progress to reverse this epidemic: a new report on childhood obesity shows obesity among low income preschoolers has declined slightly in 19 states and territories, and a new report on school health shows there have been improvements to the way we teach nutrition and physical activity in schools. But there is still a lot of work to be done.
Healthy—the first tenet of ASCD's Whole Child Initiative—says that every student should enter school healthy and learn about and practice a healthy lifestyle. Here at ASCD we believe and practice this. This September, during Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and every month, we encourage you to do the same by using the Initiative's tenet indicators and components to support and reinforce the health and well-being of your students. In addition, the we have compiled a number of resources from our partner organizations to further support you in your efforts to keep kids healthy, including
National Association of School Nurses
- Childhood Obesity (archived webinar and other tools)
- School Nurse Childhood Obesity Toolkit (SCOT)
National Association for Sport and Physical Education
- Physical Education is Critical to Educating the Whole Child position statement (PDF)
- 2012 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the USA
National School Boards Association
Learn more about Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, view additional resources, and get tips on ways to keep kids healthy. Together we can combat childhood obesity and ensure kids grow up to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.