Tennis can be solution to 'big' problem for inactive kids
by Jack L. Groppel, Ph.D., FACSM, USPTA Master Professional
Question: I have seen so much press about the issue of obesity and I am genuinely concerned. But, my particular concern has to do with children. I realize that there are fundamental causes, but could you please shed some light on what’s going on and what we, as USPTA members, can do?
Answer: Your question is timely in that the U.S. Congress has named September as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. But, your question is also timely from the perspective that we truly are in a national crisis with the severity of childhood and teenage obesity. Yes, there are global concerns as well, but the data that are most readily available come from U.S. statistics. And, I should add as a precaution before I begin answering, that I truly want to be sensitive to those people who may have no control over their physical condition, whether from disease, debilitation, or medication. Having said that, however, the numbers of cases where disease or medication cause obesity are few compared to the actual data.
Dr. Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health, recently said, “Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges the country has ever faced.” The alarm seems warranted if you consider the facts stemming from why Congress enacted a National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. On the childhood obesity awareness website www.healthierkidsbrighterfutures.org, the following information is cited: “Over 23 million children and teenagers in the United States ages 2-19 are obese or overweight, a statistic that health and medical experts consider an epidemic.” But, if you consider other sources of data on childhood obesity, an even more serious problem arises – people’s awareness that there is actually a problem.
In a survey by Greenburg Quinlan Rosner Research and American Viewpoint, 84 percent of parents believe their children are at a healthy weight, while the exact data show that nearly one-third of children and teens are obese or overweight. Pardon my abruptness, but this is a big problem. Either someone’s calculator is broken or our country’s parents (of whom I am one) have an improper perception of their children’s physical state. And, if something isn’t done, this situation has very long-term ramifications associated with it.
Each of us has read the literature that associates obesity with other maladies, many of which are major life-threatening diseases. Higher incidences of diabetes, cancer and heart disease are highly correlated with obesity. Obviously, these three diseases will shorten a person’s life span and severely increase healthcare costs, but for a young person, what are the costs of obesity as it relates to quality of life? Obesity can prevent people from being active, exercising and moving effectively, but it also affects breathing and sleeping.
Obesity is a very complex problem. Many people can’t afford quality food, costs of a fitness center, etc. I totally understand that. But, the real problem we face as a culture, is that we have given in to a sedentary lifestyle and we just really don’t seem interested in being active. As you alluded in your question, there are other options to being active, such as TV, video games, DS, X-Box, iPods, texting, and on and on. When I was a child (I hated it as a child when my dad said that) many years ago, let’s be honest: There weren’t many options. TV only had a few channels and most of those a child couldn’t enjoy so, instead of other options, it was this: “OK, what activity are we going to do today?” Is it hunting, tennis, baseball, playing with the dogs, playing with other kids, etc.? The solution to today’s problem of inactivity was indicated in an article written for a different purpose that I read earlier this year. In the July 27, issue of USA Today, there was an article titled, “Is True Friendship Dying Away?” The author expounded upon the fact that there is no time for friends and alluded to the safety issues of just letting our children run free, as we did when many of us were young. However, the author also discussed the technology “toys” that young people have at their disposal that they choose to employ rather than create new friends. Here is where the author’s solution also fits what we are addressing here; namely the lack of activity. The statement was simple, yet profound: “If there is a secret to close friendship, that’s it. Put down the device; engage the person.” That’s exactly what we have to do – teach our children to “put down the device and engage in activity.”
The problem we face in your question is a big one, and we, as leaders in our communities, must step up. But, there should be a little caution offered.
If we look at the problem as a whole – 23 million young obese or overweight people and their parents may not be aware, it has the potential to be overwhelming. But, let’s just look at our little piece of the world. Each of us has a sphere of influence. No matter how small or large your sphere of influence, you have one. And, within that sphere of influence, you can make a difference. In your community, for example, I know that your sphere of influence is huge! So, in your question to me, you asked, what we can do.
I believe it all starts with activity! Yes, nutrition is extremely important to the issue of obesity, but your sphere of influence might not be in educating about nutrition. However, you can certainly influence youth and their parents regarding activity. In fact, September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. What if we, as USPTA members, looked at it differently? What if we changed the word “awareness” to “action”? (Please note that I am simply offering this up to you and not recommending a name change for the cause).
You and I are already aware. Let’s act to help improve awareness in our communities! You have Tennis – for the health of it!, and all the associated PR materials. You could make a call today and arrange to speak in front of your local Rotary, high school assembly, PTO meeting, local park district, etc. Yes, you could conduct a community outreach clinic. But, the key is this: We, as members of USPTA, are professionals who are certified to teach the greatest sport activity on earth. We can share our knowledge with people about activity in general. Yes, it would be great to get more people on our tennis courts, but this problem of child obesity is at epidemic proportions. Use your sphere of influence to motivate youth and parents about how important it is to be active. Interestingly, you might not even speak about tennis, but because you are a certified tennis teaching professional, with incredible support materials from your PR and sports marketing team, you might just get a few more tennis lessons. And, for sure, you will build your name and your credibility in your community. So, my challenge to all of us is to give back to our communities! Let me know if you answer this challenge and how it worked. We want to share your stories with our members and with the industry. In fact, we’ll let the national cause know what you did to improve the people within your sphere of influence. I wish you the best of luck!