HARRISBURG, Pa. - Seven hours in front of electronic entertainment and seven minutes outside. That's what constitutes play for most kids today, according to aKaiser Family Foundation study. That lack of outdoor activity is being cited in legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives as one reason for the rise in childhood obesity.
The Moving Outdoors in Nature Act would encourage states to collaborate with communities, businesses and parents to increase outdoor activities. It's important for portions of the Pennsylvania economy, according to Patrick Fitzgerald with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).
"The decline we're seeing in hunting participation has an effect on the state agencies that sell hunting licenses and also on the companies that sell that equipment."
Fitzgerald says the legislation, which is supported by the NWF, Sierra Club, Outdoors Alliance for Kids and YMCA, is also about restoring balance to kids' lives.
"These state strategies could look at things like walking and biking to school, look at the school system and after-school programs, and see how we can have time for outdoor play and outdoor activities."
According to a report issued by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, close to 30 percent of kids ages 10 to 17 in Pennsylvania are overweight. In a national poll last summer, 38 percent of parents rated childhood obesity as a big problem.
The Moving Outdoors in Nature Act would encourage states to collaborate with communities, businesses and parents to increase outdoor activities. It's important for portions of the Pennsylvania economy, according to Patrick Fitzgerald with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).
"The decline we're seeing in hunting participation has an effect on the state agencies that sell hunting licenses and also on the companies that sell that equipment."
Fitzgerald says the legislation, which is supported by the NWF, Sierra Club, Outdoors Alliance for Kids and YMCA, is also about restoring balance to kids' lives.
"These state strategies could look at things like walking and biking to school, look at the school system and after-school programs, and see how we can have time for outdoor play and outdoor activities."
According to a report issued by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, close to 30 percent of kids ages 10 to 17 in Pennsylvania are overweight. In a national poll last summer, 38 percent of parents rated childhood obesity as a big problem.
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