FAN4Kids Fighting Childhood Obesity
This project's parent organization is FAN4Kids
It operates in United States
It uses Multiple sports, Australian Rules Football, Athletics
Entered the Sport for Health and Well-being Award
More about FAN4Kids Fighting Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is among the most prevalent nutritional diseases in the US. Today’s children have become victims of aggressive junk food advertising, a culture that embraces "super-sizing" and technologies that capture them as sedentary participants. As a result, 35% of elementary school children nationwide are considered overweight/or/obese. In low-income, urban minority communities the problem is more acute. Over 45% of students in our Bronx schools are obese/overweight. Studies have shown that a child who is obese between the ages of 10-13 has an 80% chance of becoming an obese adult.
School gyms are converted into classrooms due to overcrowding, and outdoor play areas are nonexistent, unusable or even dangerous. Moreover, many public schools lack the funding to place much emphasis on sports and student fitness.
Our project combines fitness and nutrition education to more efficiently and sustainably reverse this disturbing trend in obesity. FAN4Kids exposes the highly-affected communities to creative possibilities for staying active and healthy. We focus on games, exercises and non-traditional sports that don’t require much space, nor do they exclude or intimidate.