June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 22

EQUITY
Obesity-related health risks
are nearly reversible if children
adopt healthy habits and
achieve lower body mass index.
Parks and Recreation's Role in the
Childhood Obesity Epidemic
By Isa Granados, M.S.
C
22 Parks & Recreation | JUNE 2 0 2 3
hildhood obesity continues to be a significant health concern in
the United States, affecting 22 percent of children ages 2 to 19
- an equivalent of 15 million children (tinyurl.com/5n86dvy4).
Children of color and from low-income households have disproportionately
higher rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases, as well
as lower physical activity levels. What's more, these gaps of inequity have
widened in recent years and amount to lifelong consequences. As the earliest
generation of children living through the obesity epidemic now enter
adulthood, they are the first in U.S. history to have a shorter life expectancy
than their parents, mainly due to rising rates of obesity-related cancers
and cardiovascular disease. Obesity also profoundly affects children's selfesteem
and social and emotional well-being, as children with severe obesity
have similar quality of life as those diagnosed with cancer (tinyurl.com/
2p8pkr39). However, obesity-related health risks are nearly reversible if
children adopt healthy habits and achieve lower body mass index.
Solutions and Interventions
Neighborhood
safety,
access
to
medical care, availability of healthy
food, and affordability of sports
or other activities are just some of
the challenging factors that play
into addressing obesity in an equitable
manner. In North Carolina,
Durham Parks and Recreation,
pediatricians with Duke Children's
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
and families came together to address
an unmet need: a safe place
for physical activity and nutrition
education for children with obesity
who were not otherwise engaging
in recreational activities. The Fit
Together model emerged; families
receive screening and counseling
from a healthcare provider and participate
in physical and nutrition
education in a local recreation center.
Fit Together is a space free from
stigma and weight-based teasing,
where kids interact with other kids
who look like them. Fit Together is
accessible to populations disproportionately
affected by obesity, engaging
minority (31 percent Black, 44
percent Hispanic, 9.4 percent white)
and low-income families (69 percent
on Medicaid). Participation in these
PHOTO COURTESY OF BULL CITY FIT

http://tinyurl.com/5n86dvy4 http://tinyurl.com/2p8pkr39 http://tinyurl.com/2p8pkr39

June 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2023 - Parks & Recreation

June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Intro
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover1
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover2
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 1
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 2
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 3
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 4
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 5
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 6
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 7
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 8
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 9
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 10
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 11
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 12
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 13
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 14
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 15
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 16
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 17
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 18
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 19
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 20
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 21
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 22
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 23
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 24
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 25
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 26
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 27
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 28
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 29
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 30
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 31
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 32
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 33
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 34
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 35
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 36
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 37
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 38
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 39
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 40
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 41
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 42
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 43
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 44
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 45
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 46
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 47
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 48
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 50
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 51
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 52
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 53
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 54
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 55
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 56
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover3
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - Cover4
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2024
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2023
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/february-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/january-2022
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/december-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/november-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/october-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/september-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/august-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/july-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/june-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/may-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/april-2021
https://ezine.nrpa.org/nrpa/ParksRecreationMagazine/march-2021
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