During a House hearing on the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act yesterday, Rep. Yvette D. Clarke noted how all of these programs to encourage healthy eating and increased physical activity to fight childhood obesity ignore the simple problem many children have, especially in cities: No safe places to play. While it might seem to some that every child can go for a walk, their options might be limited and their safety might be compromised.
In fact, the CDC found earlier this year that only about one in five kids lives near a park, and only about half of children surveyed said they lived near a place they could easily exercise. Few high school students get even an hour of activity a day, and only 37 states require physical education. With the emphasis on academic achievement, recess time is shrinking. Cities with shrinking budgets, like Colorado Springs, are cutting funding for recreation centers and parks.
So Michelle Obama’s suggestion that she and Elmo go for a walk is nice, but for some children the only place for exercise is a crowded sidewalk full of adults that their parents might not consider safe. That’s part of the larger issue: Many neighborhoods don’t have environments dedicated or conducive to physical activity. Cities can struggle because not only do those amenities cost money, but they also raise the values of nearby homes and apartments, keeping low-income families away from the types of play centers they need. It just shows how the obesity problem, both for children and adults, is the product of a constellation of related factors that need a coordinated push by the federal government to solve.
