Schools need quality PE

I want to highlight an alarming trend. Over the last 10 years, Missouri schools have decreased the time allocated for physical education while increasing the time that students spend sitting in the classroom.

Across the country and right here at home, childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions. It is estimated that 20 percent of children in Missouri will be obese by the end of 2010. Researchers suggest that the childhood obesity epidemic is largely due to a decline in regular physical activity, and a diet that is high in empty and fat-laden calories.

According to the American Heart Association, a lack of regular physical activity can hurt a child's academic, social and emotional development. Research shows that healthy children learn more effectively and achieve more academically. Experts agree that increasing physical activity is the most important component of any program designed to combat childhood obesity, yet many Missouri schools have cut back on PE programs.

We must give Missouri youths the opportunity to live healthy lives by providing them with more education on the importance of nutrition and the opportunity to be active in a quality PE program. The American Heart Association strongly supports pending legislation that would require all Missouri school districts to have quality physical education programs.

Please contact your state legislators and encourage them to support quality physical education programs for all school districts in Missouri. Together, we can help prevent childhood obesity by helping the leaders of tomorrow implement healthier lifestyles today.

BONNIE LINHARDT, Missouri State Advocacy Director, American Heart Association, Columbia, Mo.