When physical activity is integrated into daily routines, you have active living. Children should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five or more days per week. Unfortunately, 64 percent of youth do not meet this recommendation. Policy-makers can help improve active living options by implementing policies and programs in schools and communities that promote routine daily physical activity.

• Physical Activity

• Built Environment

• Parks & Recreation

• Transportation

Healthy eating is supported by healthy food environments that ensure access to fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods and beverages. Policy-makers can promote healthy eating in schools by establishing school nutrition standards and increase access to healthy foods through incentives for full-service supermarkets, farmers markets and other healthy food outlets.

• Healthy Eating

• Food Access

• Food Policy

Children and teens spend more than 30 hours in school every week. Because schools are where young people spend most of their time, we must ensure that the school environment provides nutritious foods, healthy beverages and safe physical activity. From wellness plans and physical education requirements to nutrition standards and the link between healthy bodies and academic achievement, schools are at the forefront of the battle to help reverse childhood obesity rates.

• Physical Activity

• Nutrition

• School Wellness Plans

• Afterschool/Community Programs

American kids spend an average of four to five hours per day on “screen time”—watching TV, playing video games or using a computer. As a result, youth engage in less physical activity and they are also exposed to more fast-food and sugary beverage advertisements. Many aspects of the social, cultural and socioeconomic environments influence how children perceive of healthy eating and active living. These factors must be identified and their impact minimized to improve the health of our nation’s children.

• Media/Marketing

• Crime

• Culture

• Social Equity

• Economy

Rates of childhood obesity have increased disproportionately among African-American, Latino/Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native and lower-income children over the past several decades. Certain areas of the country, such as the Southeast, have also been disproportionately affected by high rates of childhood overweight and obesity. Thus, socio-economic status, race, ethnicity and geography must be prioritized if we’re going to affect healthy eating and active living in underserved communities.

• African American

• Latino/Hispanic

• American Indian/Alaska Native

• Asian/Pacific Islander

• Lower-Income

• Rural

• Urban/Suburban