The combination of education, both on the athletic field and in the classroom with a good nutrition education program is invaluable in creating a total picture of health and fitness. It is especially important that we reach children as early as possible to give them a good grounding in nutrition as they enter middle school and high school. Aside from the obvious benefits of teaching sound nutritional principles, we are also recognizing more and more the dangers of childhood obesity and the serious health problems it creates in later life. USDA recently sponsored a seminar on the issue of childhood obesity which was attended by several hundred enthusiastic educators, health professionals and advocates. Approximately 1 in 5 children in the US is now overweight.
Obese children tend to become obese adults.
The solution to the problem of childhood obesity is prevention, with good habits being instilled right from the start. Research has found that fewer than half of school children received daily physical education, and even then it was restricted to games and competitive sports. To be effective, physical activity should include activities of at least moderate intensity and should not focus exclusively on team-oriented sports. The answer is to provide children with well-balanced, healthy meals and a healthy approach to eating. The USDA Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines provide sound, easy to understand, and simple to follow recommendations for healthy eating.