Newswise — Washington, DC (April 29, 2014) – At a Congressional Fitness Caucus briefing on Capitol Hill today, the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) Alliance in collaboration with its Organizational Partner, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), released the first-ever United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, and Uncle Sam could not possibly be proud of the 2014 grades.

Russ Pate, Ph.D., Chairman of the NPAP Alliance, revealed the inaugural Report Card results, and Peter Katzmarzyk, Ph.D., Chairman of the 2014 Report Card Research Advisory Committee, explained the research methodology of the 10 indicators evaluated. Fitness Caucus Co-chairs – Reps. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.) – kicked off the briefing, which included remarks from representatives of Designed to Move; SHAPE America ; Ken Harvey, four-time Pro Bowl Washington Redskins linebacker; and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic gold medalist.

"Physical activity levels in American youth fall far below the recommended level, with only about one quarter of children aged 6-15 meeting the current guideline of 60 minutes of moderate physical activity per day,” said Pate, professor in the Department of Exercise Science in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. “Fifty percent of waking hours are spent in sedentary activity for children and youth, and this percentage rises with age.”

Dr. Katzmarzyk, Associate Executive Director for Population and Public Health Sciences at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University, said the primary goal of the Report Card is to assess levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviors in American children and youth, facilitators and barriers for physical activity and related health outcomes. “We hope the Report Card will galvanize researchers, health professionals, community members, and policy makers across the U.S. to improve our children’s physical activity opportunities, which will improve health, prevent disease and disability, and enhance quality of life,” said Katzmarzyk.

The key indicators that were evaluated and graded as part of the U.S. Report Card include:1. Overall Physical Activity D-2. Sedentary Behaviors D3. Active Transportation F4. Organized Sport Participation C-5. Active Play INCOMPLETE6. Health-Related Fitness INCOMPLETE7. Family and Peers INCOMPLETE8. School C-9. Community and the Built Environment B-10. Government Strategies and Investments INCOMPLETE

"This report illustrates the immediate need for a comprehensive action plan to promote physical fitness for our young people," said Rep. Kind. "It's hard to develop a healthy mind without a healthy body, and encouraging healthy habits and routines early in life is something we all can do to help our kids succeed in school and their communities. That's why I'm working on a bipartisan basis with Congressman Schock and others to make the healthy choice the easy choice for our children."

William Dexter, M.D., president of ACSM and director of the Sports Medicine Program at Maine Medical Center—representing Designed to Move –offered some constructive calls to action for policymakers. Dr. Dexter emphasized that government has an important role to play in surveillance, research, and other policies. Designed to Move is a framework for action supported by public, private and civil sector organizations dedicated to ending the epidemic of physical inactivity.“Another important opportunity for improving physical activity grades in the U.S. is the role that physicians can play in encouraging kids and families to be more physically active,” said Dexter. “ACSM launched a program called Exercise Is Medicine® with the American Medical Association, and it encourages doctors to discuss physical activity during every patient visit. As a physician, I can tell you that I make physical activity an important part of my practice, and more and more doctors are going to be prescribing healthy and enjoyable physical activity for all Americans, and especially our youth.”

Rep. Schock shared his perspective, saying, "The findings in the first-ever national Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth are deeply troubling, but we may have caught ourselves in enough time to change course. America's children deserve a future that is free from preventable chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. The report card illustrates the need to promote physical fitness among America's youth, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and our non-profit allies on this issue to make sure next year's report shows measured progress among every key indicator."Data from multiple nationally representative surveys were used to provide a comprehensive evaluation of physical activity for children and youth. The grades for the Report Card were assigned by the Report Card Research Advisory Committee using the most recent data available with consideration of published scientific literature and reports. The Report Card is the first in a historic series of national physical activity report cards in countries around the world that will be updated annually, providing an unprecedented global benchmark using a common methodology on this pivotal public health issue. ###

Event photos will be available by request by emailing Annie Spencer of ACSM - [email protected] the full report or summary edition (available at 2:30 p.m. EDT April 29) and more information, please visit: http://www.physicalactivityplan.org.

About National Physical Activity Plan Alliance:The National Physical Activity Plan Alliance is a coalition of national organizations that have come together to insure the long term success of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP). The NPAP is a comprehensive set of policies, programs and initiatives that aim to increase physical activity in all segments of the U.S. population. About ACSM: The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 50,000 international, national and regional members and certified professionals are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and sports medicine. More details at www.acsm.org.

About Designed to Move:Designed to Move (DTM) is a framework for action supported by public, private and civil sector organizations dedicated to ending the epidemic of physical inactivity. To ensure a better future for everyone, we must create early positive experiences for children in sports and physical activity, and integrate physical activity into everyday life. Find out more at www.designedtomove.org.

About SHAPE America:The vision of SHAPE America is "Healthy People – Physically Educated and Physically Active!" Headquartered in Reston, VA, 25 miles west of Washington, DC, SHAPE America is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, physical activity, dance, school health and sport--all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. Its mission is to advance professional practice and promote research related to health and physical education, physical activity, dance and sport by providing its members with a comprehensive and coordinated array of resources, support and programs to help practitioners improve their skills to further the health and well-being of the American public. Learn more about our history at http://www.shapeamerica.org/about/upload/Alliance_History.pdf.

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