Our Mission: Attack Childhood Obesity

We are losing an entire generation of children to the lifelong effects of ravaging chronic diseases due to childhood obesity

Daily, vigorous exercise has been proven to be the number 1 prevention for childhood obesity. Yet over half our Kids get less the 5 minutes of exercise a day -- just 5 minutes! That is not enough exercise to develop healthy hearts, let alone control excess weight.

The childhood obesity problem is getting worse every day Consider the data:

Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes is our fastest growing childhood disease

Kids now have a 33% lifetime risk for diabetes -- 50% chance for minority children

Over 61% of our Kids have risk factors for developing Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)

Cardiovascular Disease is the 3rd leading cause of death for children under 15

In the present generation, obesity, diabetes and chronic diseases claim almost as many lives as smoking and cancer combined - it will be much worse for our youngest generation

We are facing the first generation of Parents who will see their children die of chronic diseases before they do

Children that are overweight when they are 8-12 are 4-10 times more likely to carry that extra weight into late childhood. This sets them up for early development of chronic diseases as young adults. This means:

Most will carry that extra weight into adulthood

They are 3x more likely to have dangerous blood pressure levels as adults

3x more likely to have elevated LDL (bad) and depressed HDL (good) cholesterol

40+% have blood sugar control problems, leading to Type 2 diabetes in adulthood

Indications of adult cardiovascular risk factors are already present at age 9

(World Health Organization, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Kids are not getting exercise at Home

With few safe neighborhoods, many Parents insist their Kids stay indoors after school. Plus, due to the ultra competitive nature of organized childrens' sports, 78% of kids quit all sports by age 13. TV and video games are increasingly a part of the inactivity problem. Kids are not getting the exercise they need at home. Home-based exercise isn't going to change anytime soon.

Kids are not getting exercise at School

Schools are the last chance to help get kids physically active. So what are schools doing?

92% of Elementary schools no longer have regular PE

Many Elementary schools are even eliminating recess

Even in schools with PE, most Kids only get it once a week

Cutting PE to make room for math and reading

Budget cuts have forced most schools to eliminate the so-called "soft" subjects of music, art, drama, and PE- thus no money for PE Teachers. Elementary PE class sizes, in some states that have it, average over 80 kids (40 on 40 basketball anyone?). Are we willing to live with that?

Kids need daily, vigorous exercise and schools are not providing it. Unless schools are given no-cost exercise tools, school-based exercise is not going to increase anytime soon.

The Impact of No Child Left Behind

Getting kids physically activity at school dramatically improves academics

With the pressure of testing kids to meet the demands of No Child Left Behind, school administrators are eliminating recess to create more class time. Yet the data shows that with in-school physical activity:

Math scores improve

Reading scores improve

Classroom behavior improves

Self esteem (the foundation of academic development) increases

Cognitive function and attention focus are strengthened

Academic performance is hurt, not helped, by giving elementary kids little physical activity at school. Consider these major conclusions from landmark studies:

"Scheduled physical activity did not interfere with children's later academic performance."

"Physical activity can be introduced without compromising academic performance."

"Measures of cardio-respiratory endurance... [are] related to scholastic ability."

(See "Physically Active Kids" for all references above)

By not providing children daily, vigorous physical activity in schools, Kids will not only be battling the life-long and life-threatening effects of obesity. They will also be short-changed academically. Is that really how we want our schools to affect the children under our care?

Money for schools is exceptionally tight

That isn't going to change anytime soon. That is why GoZonkers Radio Adventures and EarlyGames are delivered with unobtrusive sponsor support FREE to schools.

We cannot wait for legislatures and school boards to give Kids what they need

As Parents, as Teachers, as a society focused on the future of our children, we cannot wait for legislatures and school boards to give schools the resources they desperately need to get kids more physically active. They are not likely to do that anytime soon.

But Kid's bodies can't wait.

Neither should we.

Join with us to make this the last generation of Kids to grow up with
preventable childhood obesity.