The New England Alliance for Children’s Health recently released a report on the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, “Overweight and Obesity in Massachusetts: A Focus on Physical Activity.” This event, held on 16 May, was cosponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, and the Boston Foundation.
According to the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, inadequate physical activity is a driving force behind the childhood obesity epidemic. Overall, Massachusetts ranks 33rd for percentage of overweight and obese children compared to the rest of the country, and last with the lowest percentage of high school students who meet the recommendation for sixty minutes of daily physical activity. The state also ranks in the bottom 25% for overall policy environment to promote physical education. With one in three children and two out of three adults in the nation overweight or obese, the Forum is advising that this is becoming a crisis of obesity-related disease, societal stress, and economic burden. Reversing this dangerous trend requires making physical activity a higher priority. Change needs to come through state-wide action, school initiatives, and community-based intervention, and it requires support from a broad-based coalition of engaged stakeholders.
To access the complete Forum report, please visit:
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