It appears that the exploding rates of physical inactivity and obesity among our young people are largely responsible for the emerging epidemic of type 2 diabetes, a disease which is approaching epidemic proportions among American adults and rising in cases among American children and teens.

An estimated 20% of all cases of new onset type 2 diabetes are in individuals between the ages of 9-19. Twenty years ago only 2% of newly diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes occurred in young people.While there is no cure for diabetes, diet and exercise are cornerstones to treatment. Dr. Cedric Bryant, Chief Exercise Physiologist for Americans Communicating Electronically (ACE) said, "It has been estimated that diet and exercise could produce a more than 60% reduction in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in children and teens."

To aid in reversing this trend, our nation's schools can support physical education programs and develop after-school exercise opportunities that anyone can enjoy - regardless of athletic ability. One such example is Operation FitKids (OFK), the youth outreach program of the American Council on Exercise.

OFK provides schools with one or more services to build a fitness program including commercial fitness equipment, educational materials, staff training, mentoring and/or community partnering.

OFK immediately impacts communities and school districts with a positive solution to the lack of physical activity opportunities for students and the increase in childhood obesity

Statistics on adolescent obesity in America:

• About 15 percent of children and adolescents ages 6-19 years are seriously overweight.
• The percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight has nearly tripled since the early 1970s.
• Over 10 percent of younger preschool children between ages 2 and 5 are overweight.
• Another 15 percent of children and teens ages 6 to 19 are considered at risk of becoming overweight.
• Researchers found that lowered self-esteem was associated with being overweight in girls as young as 5.
• 1 in 5 children in the U.S. are overweight.
• Children with obesity, age 10 to 13, are reported to have a 70% likelihood of obesity persisting into adult years.

(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC), 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) )