ABSTRACT
Healthy People 2020 identies a need to decrease the proportion of children considered obese from 10.7% in 2002-2008 to 9.6% by 2020 (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). Childhood obesity health eects include, but are not limited to, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, asthma, and mental health conditions (Rahman, Cushing, & Jackson, 2011; Strong et al., 2005). Not only are these children aected concurrently, obese children are more likely to be obese adults and consequently may suer an even greater number and severity of health conditions (Guo & Chumlea, 1999; Nader et al., 2006; Whitaker et al., 1997). e aggressiveness of the childhood obesity epidemic is undeniable. Overall, obesity has the potential to decrease the life expectancy by 2-5 years by mid-century if eorts to slow the epidemic are not successful (Olshansky, Passaro, & Hershow, 2005). Furthermore, a report by the American Public Health Association determined that the national health cost associated with overweight and obesity is approximately $142 billion. is estimation includes health care costs, lost wages due to illness and disability, and future earnings lost by premature death (Rahman et al., 2011). Costs are projected to reach between $860 and $956 billion by the year 2030, accounting for 15.8-17.6% of total health care spending (Wang et al., 2008). Sedentary behaviors are shown to promote obesity in children and adolescents, but the majority of youth in the United States do not participate in the recommended amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (Hills, King, & Armstrong, 2007; Tomporowski, Lambourne, & Okumura, 2011). Data from recent studies on children’s exercise report that approximately 40% of school-age boys and 60% of school-age girls have been performing the recommended 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity daily (Field, 2011). Physical activity is an undisputed need in human life. Researchers agree that humans have an evolutionary derived and genetically primed need for regular physical activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle and prevent chronic disease and even death (Hills et al., 2007). Physical activity has an eect on many components of the human body, including the development of tissues, fat, skeletal muscle, and bone, which are all imperative to the growth and maturation of a child (Hills et al., 2007). Evidence reveals that appropriate levels of physical activity among children and youth, including sucient time in MVPA, are related positively to increased on-task classroom behavior, cognitive development, and academic performance (Siedentop, 2009).
