Since weight loss is more difficult to achieve once an adult is obese, preventing children from becoming obese is a critical health concern with long-term implications. Exercise is one important way to address the increase of obesity in children. May is National Fitness Month and a great time to start being active . Twenty-five per cent of Canadian children are considered to be overweight . Children's recreation is affected by their family income level.
Physical activity varies by income - and the participation gap is growing.
Good communities can lessen the harmful effects of being poor. Poor children living in a good, civic community are more apt to engage in supervised sports than are poor children living in a less civic community. See Go for Green's Safe route to school program. Peer influence can often be more powerful than parental or family support in getting children active. Children who spend a lot of time playing video games, surfing the internet, or watching TV with their friends will have less time for sports or outdoor play.