May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Established in 1956 and sponsored by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS), National Physical Fitness and Sports Month promotes the benefits of fitness through various avenues. The council recommends programs to the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with a goal to encourage nationwide participation in physical fitness, physical activity, and sports activities.

For me, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month stirs up painful memories of being forced to participate in the annual physical fitness tests every school year. I cringe at the memories of painfully attempting to do pull-ups and sit-ups, and—my least favorite at that time—running the mile. I was always one of the last students to finish. Looking back now, I realize how out of shape I was, and how important those physical activities were.

To promote physical activity and health, the President's Council has a long and productive history of public/private partnerships to encourage physical activity through use of the President's Challenge awards program and to generate public information materials, such as brochures, booklets, and public service announcements. Partnerships include the General Mills Foundation, which annually awards 50 grants of $10,000 each to national, state, and local entities that have programs focusing on healthy eating and physical activity participation through the President's Challenge Program. Bally Corp celebrates National Physical Fitness and Sports Month by opening Bally's for six consecutive Saturdays to families to experience dancing, exercising, and the fun of movement through a campaign titled "Fitness Runs in Families."

What interests me most is that the program also features what it calls its "science partners." These partners include the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Athletic Trainers' Association, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. I think it is important for the American Physical Therapy Association to have its presence here as well. There needs to be a safety angle to the physical-activity programs implemented during this month. I know physical therapy has its own month to celebrate (in October), but it would be an advantage to promote the field of physical therapy and its benefits during National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Perhaps host an information session in the local schools to prepare students about safety while participating in this month's festivities. Visit our Web site this month and take our online poll (left side of home page, under Top News) about the level of participation your practice has in encouraging a healthy fitness lifestyle for your patients.

Is it enough to promote physical fitness just once per year, however? Obesity rates in this country are still staggering. Approximately, 127 million adults in the United States are overweight, 60 million are obese, and 9 million are severely obese.¹ The prevalence of childhood obesity is also staggering: 15.5% of adolescents (ages 12 to 19) and 15.3% of children (ages 6 to 11) are obese.²

We have a long way to go in solving the problem of obesity. However, reminding patients about the importance of physical health and fitness is one step in the right direction.

Arati Murti

References

1. Obesity in the US. American Obesity Association. Available at: www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_US.shtml. Accessed April 24, 2007.
2. Childhood Obesity. American Obesity Association. Available at: www.obesity.org/subs/childhood/. Accessed April 24, 2007.