“Youth fitness expert stresses activity.”

Says children must ‘learn to be healthy’

 

From staff reports

 

Young people need more exercise than they’re getting at many after-schools and other structured programs, even those offered at health and fitness centers, a youth fitness expert says.

 

Michael Spezzano, speaking at an American College of Sports Medicine conference, urged health and fitness professionals to incorporate more activity in the lives of the young participants in their programs.

 

“We need to engage these children, to lead them through fun, varied and age-appropriate activities so they will learn to be healthy for the long term,” says Spezzano, a member of the sports medicine group and a consultant to the YMCA.

 

The organization’s Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition concluded in Orlando this month.

 

Government statistics show that 20% to 30% of children in the USA are either overweight or at risk of becoming so.

 

Experts say children and teens who weigh too much are at a greater risk of weighing too much as adults, are more likely to have low self-esteem and have a greater chance of developing health problems such as diabetes.

 

And studies have shown that obesity is second only to tobacco use among the leading causes of preventable deaths in the USA.

 

“Many of the same forces that contribute to youth obesity – such as environmental and safety concerns – are leading kids out of their backyards and playgrounds and into our facilities,” Spezzano said. He noted that young people were often not welcome at fitness centers and that many facilities are now trying to add youth-oriented activities without alienating their adult clientele.

 

“Catering to adults has been the nature of the health and fitness industry for many years,” Spezzano said “Many program directors and health/fitness professionals were trained to work only with the adult client.

 

“We need to attract professionals who are skilled at working with kids or retrain current staff to understand their unique needs,” he said.

 

The American College of Sports Medicine is a 20,000-member sports medicine and exercise science organization.

 

USA Today, April 21, 2004