PE teachers will get

curriculum workout

By Scott Nicholson

Watauga's teachers will be among those dancing to the tune of "Let's Get Physical" next month.

A state training initiative will reach 60 physical education teachers in a four-county region, providing Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) curriculum training.

SPARK has a social component that focuses on individual connection rather than group activity. It promotes developing continuously active, small-group and non-competitive environments and encouraging all students to participate.

Rates of childhood obesity are rising, along with related diseases such as childhood diabetes.

Overweight children have a 70-percent greater chance of being overweight compared to adults and are facing higher risks for many conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and several types of cancer.

The Centers for Disease Control has predicted that one-third of all children born in 2000 could develop diabetes in their lifetime. For the first time in a century, children's life expectancy is declining.

According to a recent study by Be Active NC, unhealthy eating and physical inactivity costs North Carolina an estimated $57 billion annually.

All physical-education teachers will be provided with hours of training and curriculum manuals and software for Fitnessgram, a program to measure fitness levels. The data will be analyzed by the N.C. Center for Health Statistics and made available to parents, teachers, the school and the district to help guide policy decisions.

The program was created by the N.C. Alliance for Athletics Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and designed to improve physical activity and eating habits to reduce obesity and the number of overweight children in grades K-8.

It is funded by a grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.

Obesity prevention has been drawing a lot of resources and attention — 54 percent of North Carolina children are physically inactive.

North Carolina has the fifth-highest rate of overweight and obese youth in the country.
Watauga County received a $475,000 grant to fight childhood obesity last fall and the Blue Ridge Parkway was recently awarded a $200,000 grant to promote physical activity among youths.