As one of your constituents and American Heart Association advocate I urge you to take action to save our children from a lifetime of health problems caused by obesity. As you prepare for the next legislative session please make physical education in our schools a priority.
With rising childhood obesity rates there are important steps that you as a lawmaker can take to reverse this trend:

• Increase the physical education requirement in our schools.
• Establish enforcement of the physical education requirement.
• Strengthen the definition of physical education in schools.

A recent report published by the Institute of Medicine on childhood obesity provides greater evidence that children are in dire need of quality physical education programs in schools. It found that in the United States, 16 percent of children and adolescents are obese. Nearly the same amount is classified as "overweight" and at risk for obesity.

For more on the report please go here: http://www.iom.edu/en/Reports/2009/ChildhoodObesityPreventionLocalGovernments.aspx

We know that overweight and obese children have an increased risk for heart disease in adulthood and are prone to premature heart attacks and strokes. The bottom line is our children are in trouble, particularly here in Oklahoma!

Giving our children a head start on physical fitness to reduce their risk for obesity related diseases should be a priority for the Oklahoma legislature in 2010. I encourage you to support legislation that improves the physical education in our school children.

Thanks for your consideration. Heart Disease and Stroke. You're the Cure.