Community Members Volunteer to Get Kids Excited About Fitness

By Greg Cook, WHF Associate

For children, the journey to fitness begins at home but continues at school. And for some Seattle kids, that means walking to and from school. Kids in the Phinney Ridge area have been joining together since 2005 to make the trip to school as part of a “walking school bus.” This effort relies on parent volunteers to ensure everything runs smoothly. Participants say they enjoy the exercise and interacting with others as well as getting exercise. The lack of exercise and corresponding decline in the health of many school-age children has worried observers in the health care sector, business, and even the military. According to The New York Times, a panel of retired military officers reports that an alarmingly high number of armed forces recruits fail basic physical fitness tests.

Thankfully, the message that our children need better exercise and nutrition habits is being heard across Washington state. In Pierce County’s Edgewood, for instance, students at one school participate in a voluntary fitness program with lessons about good nutrition. Program founder Ladd Wolfe says that he sees many of the participating children go on to keep up their healthy habits. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published a guide entitled “Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Nutrition in Afterschool Settings” with strategies and suggestions “to reverse childhood obesity trends by promoting healthy lifestyles for children and youth.”

The Washington Health Foundation’s Healthiest Communities Partnership (HCP) applauds these efforts as a solid first step to roll back the spread of chronic diseases in our state’s communities. HCP is a public-private partnership seeking to promote policies that will contribute to making our state the healthiest state in the nation. Policy advocates from business, health care, philanthropies, and non-profits, together with the Washington State Department of Health, will be convening to shape an action agenda to help our children, our workforce, and our families and communities in the fight against chronic diseases. For more information on HCP and this effort, click here.