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For the first time in over a decade, the lifespan of children is now shorter than their parents, and according to the United States Surgeon General, poor dietary habits and a lack of physical activity are to blame.
At a time when child obesity is rising at a shocking rate, children are facing one of the most important challenges of their lives. They are put in a position to embrace a fit lifestyle to provide the base of a healthy future.
While there are countless ways to fight obesity, including a better nutrition, cutting down on alcohol consumption and daily exercise, the girls' cross country team has taken it to another level.
Sophomore Maggie DeGroot, a member of the girls' cross country team, got an idea for the team from reading a magazine.
DeGroot read about how Saucony was selling red shoelaces for $1 for their Run for Good Program. The program was created to financially support community-based organizations that are fighting current battles of child obesity.
"Cross country runners don't really use a lot of equipment besides their shoes, so I thought it would be a cool thing to do," DeGroot said.
So far, the cross country team has collected $50 to go towards the fund and hopes to get more with help from other students.
"I think it's something that's important nationwide," DeGroot said. "Now with all the technology, kids don't get out and play like they used to. A lot has changed since [we were] kids."
Dr. Judy Ciasto, senior physician for the University Health and Counseling Services, thought while there is some obesity awareness on campus, there should be more.
"The incident for child obesity is rising, and college students are definitely in that mix," Ciasto said.
Obesity can lead to heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, millions of U.S. youngsters are overweight and an estimated 17 percent are obese.
According to the American Heart Association, overweight children have an approximately 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults.
For the first time in most students' lives, they have to make a choice of what they are eating when they go to college. With the deep-fried calorie-filled menus available on campus, the "freshman fifteen" warns students that they are no longer eating what they ate at home.
"Resources are there for [obesity awareness], but I think it's hard on college campuses because you run the risk of the eating disorder spectrum," Ciasto said.
Ciasto also finds the awareness for obesity important because the health care system isn't going to be able to handle the number of people with diabetes as the rate of risks go up.
"It's not a good thing for society to be having diseases that we can control or prevent by changing our lifestyle," Ciasto said. "The medication and treatments for diseases are not very adequate. The more you prevent that, the better you are in the long run."
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