Rising Obesity Rates in Children

By Shea Stretton

When I think back on my childhood, I have fond memories of running around my neighborhood with my friends in the few hours of daylight after school and from sun up to sun down during the summer. As soon as I got off of the school bus I would run home to change out of my school clothes and into my play clothes. Within minutes I was ready to hit the street for hours of fun with my friends. We would ride bikes, build forts, climb trees, play tag and on those special days we would play baseball in one of our backyards.

The neighborhood I now live in is quite different from the one where I grew up. There is about a dozen elementary and middle school aged children here but the only time I see or hear them is when they get off the school bus in the afternoon. Other than those few minutes there is no sign of children anywhere. There is no riding of bikes up and down the street nor is there the sound of children playing in the surrounding yards.

The American Obesity Association has been tracking childhood obesity statistics and in the years of 1976 to 1980 there was a seven percent instance of obesity in children age six to eleven. Twenty years later, that same age group saw an increase of obese children climb to 15.3 percent. The number of obese adolescents, 12-19 year olds, has gone from five percent to 15.5 percent during that same time frame. One major cause cited by the AOA is a lack of regular exercise. Instead of those bike rides and games in the yard, children are plopping themselves down in front of the television, video game or computer while eating chips, candy or some other equally unhealthy snack.

Local resident Laurie Nelson saw a need for an alternative method of exercise and education so last year she created Kid Fit Arcade. It is the only fitness center of its kind in Central Florida that has equipment designed for children to use. Along with exercise, the children are educated in proper fitness and nutrition training. Right now, children ages 10-14 with an overweight parent have an 80 percent likelihood of becoming an overweight adult so it is important that the lessons the children learn be shared with their parents and siblings to create a healthier atmosphere in the home.

For now, Kid Fit Arcade is a solution to the problem of childhood obesity but their goal is to become a preventative program. The earlier a child learns about proper exercise and nutrition the better chance they have of making it a life-long practice.

Kid Fit Arcade recently celebrated its grand opening celebration and is located on Woodbury Road between Waterford Lakes Town Center and Lake Underhill Road.