Wednesday, July 19, 2006

PE does no good in fight against obesity

Another blow to those who want to blame 'the government' or 'school' for the fact that so many children are overweight. According to this study, children who have fewer hours of scheduled Phys Ed will compensate outside of school. Kids are getting fat, but the 'government' is not to blame nor are the schools.

Controlling what children eat is not easy today when there's such an abundance. But, it has to be done. And, getting them to get out to run around, ride bicycles, etc. is also not automatic when there are so few other children to play with. And, too many kids are not allowed out to play because so many parents (& especially child-minders) are so worried about the dangers outside the home. But, these fears must be overcome and kids must be allowed out to play.

With zero scientific evidence to back me up, I firmly believe these are the primary contributing factors in the rise in childhood obesity. None of these is easily dealt with. There are no simple solutions.