In Defense of Fun
To combat childhood obesity, we need to make physical activity fun again.
Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Heart N Hands founder Essence H. Banks for the HealthyNOLA “Find Your Fitness” podcast, in what was both a riveting and eye-opening conversation about heart health and the important work she’s doing to educate young women and girls about heart disease.
During the interivew, our conversation turned toward Heart N Hands’ efforts at getting young people more physically active through classes such as yoga, Zumba, Pilates and dance. Amazed and impressed, I pointed out that too many of the efforts toward combating sedentary lifestyles among youth revolve around competitive sports. To be clear: as a lifelong athlete, I understand and appreciate the impact sports have on young people. But I also realize that competitive sports, alone, are insufficient to improve the nation’s childhood obesity rates, which clocked in at 19.7% in 2020 (with rates much higher among Hispanic and black children, at 26.2% and 24.8%, respectively). A report by The Washington Post cited a study by the National Alliance for Youth Sports that found 70% of youth drop out of competitive sports by 13, leaving 70% of youth without outlets for structured exercise or physical activity.
A major contributor to the decline?
For most, sports just aren’t fun anymore, and it’s leading to a rise in sedentary lifestyles, chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and breathing disorders, and development of unhealthy lifestyle habits. There’s nothing more gratifying than winning gold in the 800-meters, sinking the winning bucket in a basketball game, or scoring that ace in the final set of a match. But, there’s also nothing more demoralizing than riding the bench, being ignored by coaches in practice, or continually underperforming.
The conventional wisdom has held that youth sports are the best way to get kids moving, active and healthy. It turns out the data says the opposite: youth sports are leaving large swaths of the youth population with no outlets to get the recommended 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily.
“To be clear: as a lifelong athlete, I understand and appreciate the impact sports have on young people. But I also realize that competitive sports, alone, are insufficient to improve the nation’s childhood obesity rates…”
How do we fix this?
We need to make physical activity fun again.
Two excellent examples of an organizations working to get more youth—and especially young girls—physically fit are YouthRun NOLA and Girls on the Run. Both organizations use a low barrier physical activity—running—to get kids more active and lead healthier lifestyles. Both programs are also non-competitive, and give all youth an opportunity to participate equally. Since 2010, YouthRun has served more than 1,000 youth at 35 school-based sites in the city, according to the website. Girls on the Run has had an equally impressive impact, serving 450 girls annually and more than 6,000 since its founding in 1996.
YouthRun NOLA participants warming up before a race.
As a former track coach who primarily coached distance runners, I’ve had the opportunity to witness these programs first-hand at races across the city. What struck me more than anything was the energy from the racers and their volunteers. Teams with YouthRun, for example, gather for pre-race chants, dancing and encouragement in a light-hearted, supportive ritual designed to hype runners and their companions up before a big race. There are no coaches yelling obscenities or talking about hurting the opponents. It’s all good-natured fun in an open, inclusive environment.
Girls on the Run participants not only train for a race, but they also take sessions designed to build social, emotional and physical skills while encouraging healthy habits for life. Each season culminates in a 5k race sponsored by the organization.
Dancing Grounds is another organization using dance to get kids active. Dancing grounds offers hip-hop, modern, jazz and other forms of dance.
Our parks, playgrounds and green spaces play an important role in creating healthier communities and youth with healthy weights. Playgrounds provide an important space to engage in physical activity, relieve stress and socialize. Accessibility to playgrounds and green spaces, alone, won’t fix the program if they aren’t well-maintained, safe, well-lit and properly managed. PlayBuild NOLA is an organization that works to transform urban spaces into dynamic play and learning environments for kids. PlayBuild turns vacant lots around the city into outdoor classrooms where youth can engage in play-to-learn activities. The organization has engaged thousands of youth since its founding in 2012.
Organizations like YouthRun NOLA, Girls on the Run, Dancing Grounds and PlayBuild NOLA are doing the important work to create generational health among some of the city’s most underserved youth, but there’s more work to be done. Though we have a number of great organizations doing great work to combat childhood obesity, there are still large swaths of the community that are underserved, and efforts have to be looked at through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Youth with special needs—20% of whom are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control—often experience significant challenges with access to exercise equipment, such as sidewalks, parks and exercise equipment, and with lack of resources, such as money, transportation and social support.
Programs and services for youth who are first and second generation Americans are important, as well. Finally, ensuring geographic equity of programs and services in areas such as Village de L’est and Algiers is essential.
Eliminating childhood obesity in New Orleans is an attainable goal, but it’s one that is possible with program innovation, evidence-based interventions, continuous monitoring, evaluation and improvement, partnerships with public and private organizations, and political commitment to resources and support for organizations taking action to improve youth obesity outcomes.
We would all do well to take a page from the “fun” model of youth physical activity in making sure we are building the next generation of healthy New Orleans residents.