A sedentary lifestyle is one of the reasons being pointed out in connection to the increasing rate of childhood obesity in the US. Children are being exposed in too many junk foods but lacked adequate exercise routines to burn all excessively accumulated calories. The answer to this problem: get children to walk!
In today's growing obesity problem, parents are encouraged to walk kids to school to head off the epidemic.
In San Francisco, the Shape Up Coalition has tripled its Safe Routes to School program, and the events included walking school buses converging on the grassy median where Dolores and San Jose Ave meet by 8:20am and walk to Fairmount Elementary, 65 Chenery St., in Noe Valley by 8:30am. The Coalition received a grant amounting to $500,000 from the California Department of Transportation to create a comprehensive Safe Routes to School program for San Francisco elementary schools.
Sadly, amidst the growing childhood obesity in America, we hardly see children kids walking to school, or at the very least, getting involved in activities that would allow them to be in good shape. While eating healthy is highly demanded among children, having an active routine helps in shaking those excess calories that kids get from vending machines.
But the question is, how safe will it be to have our kids walk to school? Coinciding with the International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and the Department of Public Health (SFDPH) discussed a study they have undertaken to collect baseline data on school commute patterns in an effort to encourage more walking.
The move is seen to be rather important now especially that we are seeing an incredible increase in childhood obesity cases; however, some are questioning the safety of the children. District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty, is one inspired with the idea of parents walking their kids to school, but said the city needed to do more to improve safety. “To be a great city, we have to have great schools and to have great schools, kids have to be safe and able to walk to school. Our children, our future, cross the streets and walk down the street every day getting to school and we need to be mindful of them,” Dufty said.
The kids’ safety is still a primary concern and while we look forward to see more kids walking with their parents, having an improved road safety measure is as important as ending childhood obesity.
