PlayCore Resource Series: Youth Fitness
Play, recreation, and physical activity are essential to a healthy lifestyle and the well-being of people of all ages and abilities. Decreased levels of physical activity and the obesity epidemic are impacting the wellness of children growing up in today’s society. The following resources will provide you information about how to shape healthy fit kids - both physically and mentally. 

Click here to download the Youth Fitness Resource Sheet

Play On! Playground Learning Activities for Youth Fitness
PlayCore and the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR) have partnered to develop a physical education program that utilizes the playground for meeting national physical education standards through fun activities focused on balancing, swinging, sliding, climbing, overhead climbing/brachiating, and spinning. 

Authored by a team of experts from Louisiana State University, Play On! shows physical educators, classroom teachers, and school administrators how to better understand the physical fitness benefits of their traditional playground equipment and promote physical activity throughout the school day. 

Let's Move In School
Let's Move in School is a call to action for teachers, principals, superintendents, school boards, and parents to help schools provides a comprehensive school physical activity program with quality physical education as the foundation so that youth will develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime.

School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
As a member of NASPE's Corporate Council, PlayCore is pleased to be able to deliver timely programs and initiatives to promote health and wellness for today's youth. This important report deals new guidelines for schools to enable children to be healthier through better eating and increased activity.

Click here to download the report

National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)
The Mission of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is to advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people. NRPA believes in the value of parks and recreation for enhancing human potential, articulating environmental values, promoting individual and community wellness and utilizing holistic approaches to promote cultural understanding, economic development, family public health and safety by working in coalitions and partnerships with allied organizations. NRPA strives to facilitate and promote the development of grassroots, self-help initiatives in communities across the country.

To learn more, visit www.nrpa.org

The Partnership for Play Every Day
In a voluntary and collaborative initiative of unprecedented scope, the YMCA of the USA, the National Recreation and Park Association and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education are working together as conveners of The Partnership for Play Every Day to increase the spaces and quality of play for our country’s children and youth.  These organizations have a proud legacy of providing physical education, physical activity, childcare, after school programs and youth sports to millions of children throughout the country. Through this dynamic collaboration with more than 30 of the nation’s leading non-profits, government agencies, academic organizations and corporations, we can create and sustain the momentum for a national movement to have kids get 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

To learn more, visit www.playeveryday.org

National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education(NAECS/SDE)
RECESS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY: A Position Statement on Young Children and Recess     
NAECS/SDE takes the position that recess is an essential component of education and that preschool and elementary school children must have the opportunity to participate in regular periods of active, free play with peers. 

To learn more, visit naecs.crc.uiuc.edu/position/recessplay.html

California Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights
California State Park and Recreation Commission Cites Link Between Health Problems and Lack of Outdoor Play
Why is childhood obesity on the rise? Why are children starting to have heart problems? Why are more and more children showing signs of stress and mental illness? The answers to these questions are found in new research that shows today's youngest generation is bound to electronic gadgets and aren't getting exercise from outdoor activities. To lend their support in countering the trend, the California State Park and Recreation Commission unanimously passed a resolution to join Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in his efforts to promote the "California Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights."

To learn more, visit www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_64142.shtml 

The Trust for Public Land
Parks for People, LA Case Statement 
Nearly 67 percent of children in Los Angeles County do not live within walking distance of a park, playground or open space. Many of these children are also obese and at higher risk of developing diabetes, asthma, or obesity related disease.Retrieved June 4, 2007.

To learn more, visit www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=17655&folder_id=2627 

American Academy of Pediatrics 
Statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics for the Subcommittee on Competition, Foreign Commerce and Infrastructure on the Rise of Childhood Obesity
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), an organization of 57,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and surgical specialists who are dedicated to the health, safety, and well being of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults would like to thank the Senate Subcommittee on Competition, Foreign Commerce and Infrastructure for the opportunity to submit testimony on the rise of obesity among children. Prevention is a hallmark of pediatric care.Retrieved June 11, 2007.

To learn more, visit www.aap.org/advocacy/washing/march_03_2004_testimony.pdf

Institute of Medicine (IOM) 
Overview of the IOM’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Study 
In 2001, the U.S. Surgeon General issued the Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity to stimulate the development of specific agendas andactions targeting this public health problem. The committee's action plan isdescribed in this report, titled Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance.

To learn more, visit www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/22/604/fact%20sheet%20-%20overview%20finalBitticks.pdf  

American Academy of Pediatrics
Overweight and Obesity Website
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is committed to children’s health and recognizes childhood overweight and obesity as a serious health concern. The Academy continues to work for improvements in obesity prevention, treatment, advocacy and reimbursement.

To learn more, visit www.aap.org/obesity/ 

National Association for Sport and Physical Education and the American Heart Association
2006 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the US
This report provides current information on the status of physical education in each of the states and the District of Columbia. The report brings attention to the importance of quality, daily physical education programs for all school age children; it also provides information that can be used as the basis for expanding and improving physical education programs in those states that need assistance.

To learn more, vsit www.aahperd.org/naspe/ShapeOfTheNation/ 

Department of Pediatric GI & Nutrition, Geisinger Clinic
Pediatric Obesity: A Huge Problem in the U.S.A.
Cochran, William J., MD 
Retrieved October 2007 online at www.aap.org/obesity/PediatricObesityProblem.ppt. 

The United States Department of Health and Human Services
The Surgeon General's Call to Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity
The Surgeon General serves as America's chief health educator by providing Americans the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness and injury.In 1999, 13% of children aged 6 to 11 years and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years in the United States were overweight. This prevalence has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past 2 decades.

To learn more, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm

MedlinePlus: A Service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health
Obesity in Children                                                                                                     
Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what is considered healthy for his or her height.

To learn more, visit www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/obesityinchildren.html

Kellogg Company, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Kids in Action: Fitness for Children, Birth to Age Five
Daily physical activity is part of a child’s foundation for a long, healthy life. Helping children adopt an active lifestyle early will have a tremendous impact on their physical, intellectual and emotional development. This booklet provides simple ideas for physical activities that parents can do with their children to create the foundation for lifelong healthy behaviors.

To learn more, visit www.aahperd.org/naspe/pdf_files/brochure.pdf

Nemours Foundation
Fitness and Your 6- to 12-Year-Old
It's important to give your school-age child as many opportunities as possible to be active, and to make sure your child is involved in a variety of activities, sports, and games that are a good fit for his or her personality, ability, age and interests.

To learn more, visit www.kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/fitness/fitness_6_12.html 

Michigan Dept. of Education
Brain Breaks
A Physical Activity Idea Book for Elementary Classroom Teachers.

To learn more, visit www.emc.cmich.edu/brainbreaks/

Healthy Schools Campaign                                                                                    
Healthy Schools Campaign advocates for policies and practices that allow all students, teachers and staff to learn and work in a healthy school environment. A variety of programs and efforts are available to make Illinois schools healthier places to learn and work.

To learn more, visit healthyschoolscampaign.org/

Natural Learning Initiative
The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) is a Research and Design Assistance Program of the College of Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. A variety of resources and full text articles, as listed below, can be accessed from the resource section of the website.

To learn more, visit www.naturalearning.org/resources/resources.htm

Developing evidence-based design: Environmental interventions for healthy development of young children in the outdoors
It is well established that behavioral patterns such as food intake, physical activity and sedentary lifestyles have a strong impact on childhood obesity (Davison and Birch 2002).

In Open Space People Space
Nilda G. Cosco 

Factors Associated With Physical Activity in Preschool Children
Objective: Our purpose was to identify factors associated with the physical activity in young children.
Finn, K., Johannsen, N., & Specker, B. 2002 

Does Early Physical Activity Predict Body Fat Change Throughout Childhood?
The prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide among people of all ages. Obesity in children often persists into adulthood, where it has been clearly linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and even some cancers.
Moore, L., Di Gao, A. Bradlee, L., Cupples, A., Sundarajan-Ramamurti, Proctor, M., Hood, M. Singer, M., Ellison, C. 2003. 

Prevalence and Trends in Overweight Among US Children and Adolescents, 1999-2000
The prevalence of overweight among children in the United States has been increasing. Between the 1960’s and 1988-1994, the prevalence among 6 through 11-year- old children increased from 4% to 11%.
Ogden, C.L., Flegal, K., Carroll  

 

Action for Healthy Kids
At the 2002 Healthy Schools Summit in Washington, D.C., former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher asked America to address the burgeoning crisis of childhood overweight and obesity, and Action for Healthy Kids was formed to answer. A public-private partnership of more than 50 national organizations and government agencies representing education, health, fitness and nutrition, Action for Healthy Kids addresses the epidemic of overweight, sedentary, and undernourished youth by focusing on changes in schools to improve nutrition and increase physical activity.

To learn more, visit www.actionforhealthykids.org/about.php

PE4Life
PE4life was founded in January, 2000 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to inspiring active, healthy living by advancing the development of quality, daily physical education programs for all children.

To learn more, visit www.pe4life.org

HealthierUS Initiative
The HealthierUS initiative is a national effort to improve people's lives, prevent and reduce the costs of disease, and promote community health and wellness. Deciding to live a healthier life is easy; it's the follow-through that's hard. On HealthierUS.gov you will learn how to: Make physical activity a part of your day, eat more healthy foods, protect yourself and your family from illness, and avoid risks to your health and the health of your loved ones.

To learn more, visit www.healthierus.gov/index.html

Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. They have come together to fight one of our nation’s leading health threats – childhood obesity. Along with the co-leader Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and American Heart Association President Dan Jones, the Alliance is working nationally to create awareness and real solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic.

To learn more, visit www.healthiergeneration.org

National Alliance for Nutrition and Physical Activity
The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) advocates national policies and programs to promote healthy eating and physical activity to help reduce the illnesses, disabilities, premature deaths, and costs caused by diet- and inactivity-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. One of the primary goals of NANA is to cultivate champions for nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention in Congress and federal agencies. Efforts include supporting effective education programs, advocating adequate funding for programs, and promoting environmental changes that help Americans eat better and be more active.

To learn more, visit www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/nana.html

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