Given all the stories we've seen in the last few years, this isn't really a big shock:
CHICAGO - One of the largest studies of its kind shows just how sluggish American children become once they hit the teen years: While 90 percent of 9-year-olds get a couple of hours of exercise most days, fewer than 3 percent of 15-year-olds do.
What's more, the study suggests that fewer than a third of teens that age get even the minimum recommended by the government — an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, like cycling, brisk walking, swimming or jogging.
The sharp drop raises concerns about inactivity continuing into adulthood, which could endanger kids' health throughout their lives, the study authors said.
Events sort of converged in a conspiracy against the kids. At the same time they were discovering the joys of computers and video games (added to the already inactive time in front of the TV), schools began dropping recess and gym classes. If physical activity is an important factor in being healthy, why shouldn't it be on the list of school mandatories along with things like reading and writing and math? Isn't being healthy as important a component of good citizenship as literacy and numeracy?
