Designing for Active Living Among Children: How environmental factors and policies relate to physical activity among young people, and how they may be linked to obesity.

Publication Date: November 2007

Publisher: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Author(s):

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Abstract:

The childhood obesity epidemic is widely recognized as a threat to children's health and quality of life, and also to the nation's health care system and economy. Changing the environments—homes, schools and neighborhoods—in which children live, learn and play is now seen as an essential strategy for reversing the obesity epidemic.

This summary from Active Living Research provides a synopsis of the current state of research into the environmental factors and policies related to young people's physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns, and how these in turn may be linked to obesity. This research identifies potential strategies for addressing physical inactivity among youth and the childhood obesity epidemic.