strong partners

strong kids

The IAPD and the IPRA have teamed with national health organizations in an effort to keep children fit

We've long said that the benefits of Illinois parks and recreation are endless. But the benefits are for naught if a significant number of lllinoisans are too ill to enjoy the opportunities our agencies offer. That may be the case for our current generation of children who are, in increasing numbers, growing up obese or overweight.

It's all too easy to measure the declining health of our state's population simply by measuring its increasing waist size. In a recent study, Illinois ranked 22nd in the U.S. in the rate of adult clinical obesity at 22.9 percent. Add to that the number of adults that are overweight, and you find that 59.9 percent of adults in Illinois weigh more than they should.

And the trend starts early. Nationally, twenty-six percent of boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 16 are overweight, and another 18 percent are at risk. A study of 3- to 7-year-old children at 25 Chicago public schools found that 23 percent were overweight and another 15 percent were at risk. This extra weight acquired during childhood is associated with obesity during adulthood and increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and breathing problems.

That's why the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park & Recreation Association have partnered with the American Heart Association and the American Cancer society to bring to our members programs that get kids off the couch and at our ball fields, courts, rinks, nature preserves, fitness centers, skate parks, pools and playgrounds.

Fitness can be fun - better than video games and TV - and better for you. That's the message we want to get to our children. At IAPD and IPRA, we hope the resources we've developed through our healthy partnerships will help you get that message across.

25 www.ILparks.org July/August 2007