Balls, Jump Ropes, Inexpensive Exercise Equipment are Effective in Fighting Obesity

Obesity in America is a growing problem, particularly in young children. How can day-care centers, and educators address the problem of obesity in the school system? One easy way to help stem the tide of obesity is to provide more, and better play time and equipment, researchers said.

In a recent press release, researchers said that the simple act of providing jump ropes and balls would encourage more kids to get more exercise. When this is combined with increasing the opportunities for children to play and get physical activity, children will naturally get more exercise every day.

Ideally, children would be encouraged to play outside for long periods of time every day, however, this is often impossible because of cold, rain, snow, or other elements. If child-care centers provided more play equipment, including items that were portable, children would naturally play for longer periods of time.

What is considered portable play equipment? Riding toys, jump ropes, balls, and hoola hoops are just a few of the types of equipment specifically mentioned by researchers.

Additionally, the staff working at the child-care centers should be educated regarding the importance of daily physical activity, and be taught different ways to implement physical activity into their daily plans with the children.

They acknowledged that as more and more children spend increasingly larger amounts of time in child-care centers, these centers can have a big impact in teaching children how to live healthier lives and make better choices.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health conducted this research. By increasing how much physical activity children get every day, the number of children who maintain a healthier weight would increase.

"Childhood obesity is an epidemic that threatens the future health of our nation. We know that about 57 percent of all 3- to 5-year-olds in the United States attend child-care centers, so it's important to understand what factors will encourage them to be more active, and, hopefully, less likely to become obese," said Dianne Ward, director of the School of Public Health nutrition department's intervention and policy division.

The researchers evaluated the type of equipment and physical activities that were offered at 20 child-care centers. All of the centers were spread around the area of North Carolina. In addition to looking at what type of activities were offered, the researchers also interviewed both the staff and the directors of the child-care centers.

Their study has been published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Source:
http://www.newswise.com/p/articles/view/536138/