The above link will take you to a study connected to the CDC's, Healthy People 2010, which is a public health effort released this past December. Included in the objectives of HP 2010, is an increase in physical activity for America's youth.
The following physical activity standards were established for high schoolers and the data was collected:
- One hour of aerobic activity daily
- Strength training three or more times weekly
- The first two criteria, taken in combination
As you might guess, American student's test scores for physical activity were found to be on par with their performance in math and science - in fact they sucked even worse:
"The findings of this study indicate that approximately 1 in 10 U.S. high school students met the HP 2020 objective for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities (PA 3.3). Tragically, the number of 9-12 graders actually meeting these low standards for combined physical activity was in the teens: "Nationwide, 12.2% of high school students met the HP 2020 objective for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities." Furthermore, females, upperclassmen and obese students scored worse than the rest.
The following also turns Dr. Drill's stomach: "The HP 2020 target for PA 3.1 (aerobic capacity) was 20.2%." How ambitious of us to ask that 20% of America's future practice healthy habits.
While this study represents a mere snapshot of the tragedy that has become true American public health (not the effectiveness of our emergency-care system or life expectancy, but quality-of-life, the prevalence of people engaging in the active process of health), and the authors admit some limitations, it does give us an appreciation for the magnitude of the problem, as well as potential implications down the road. The scientific community has made no secret that for the first time ever, an American born today may not enjoy the same health as previous generations. One instigator of this harsh forecast is the prevalence of obesity:
"Over the next few decades, life expectancy for the average American could decline by as much as 5 years unless aggressive efforts are made to slow rising rates of obesity, according to a team of scientists supported in part by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The U.S. could be facing its first sustained drop in life expectancy in the modern era, the researchers say, but this decline is not inevitable if Americans — particularly younger ones — trim their waistlines or if other improvements outweigh the impact of obesity."
Health is wealth, my friends, and as the saying goes, "At least you've got your health." But the data suggest we don't even have that. We're so focused on the fiscal happenings of Wall Street, that indeed, Main Street is overlooked, not only in terms of dollars and cents, but regarding another currency, the value of which is altogether more precious.
The good news is that this problem, like most of the big problems of this world, has a very simple fix:
GET OFF YOUR FAT ASS AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!
With the weather being so stinking beautiful, get out and take a walk, ride a bike, hike, swim. Instead of being an armchair athlete, be a real athlete or at least try! There's nothing more sad really, than an overweight and unhealthy person, sporting your choice of professional sports jersey, eating junk while admiring finely tuned athletes take the field. That represents a sad irony and when it comes to such an adult taking his child to a sporting event, it's poor leadership...hipocrisy. You're either part of the solution or part of the problem.
Regarding the big decisions that government and industry might make to facilitate a public health change on the grand scale, Lord knows we all wish they would make the big plays. But if the news ticker is any indication of the capabilities of our nation politically, as the saying goes, "we might as well wish in one hand and shit in the other...see which one fills up first."
The road back to health doesn't begin at the White House, but in YOUR house. It's high time we Americans kicked off a grass roots effort to take the power back. Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.
