Children, Exercise and Parks

We are raising the most sedentary generation of children in human history. However, a study published in the April 2001 issue of the American Journal of Public Health offers real, practical hope. Children were 400% to 500% more likely to be physically active if they were given an attractive place to play and were supervised by adults. Among middle-school students, basketball hoops and courts, baseball backstops, volleyball nets, tennis courts, and racquetball courts made the biggest impact. Realistic changes in our schools, parks, neighborhoods, and homes can revolutionize the health of our children.