New Yorkers Must Get Moving

In a recently released report from the Public Health Association of New York the health group details the fact that New Yorkers have become too sedentary, and offers some prescriptions needed to get the city's citizens moving. One such suggestion that intrigued us was the need to insure that all of New York's school kids get the physical education that has too often been eliminated from the curriculum.

The health advocates point out that the access to greater exercise opportunities is especially important for kids and teens, and opines that for these groups, "Physical activity reduces risk of obesity, improves health, enhances academic motivation and achievement, social development and self-esteem, and self-discipline."

All of which points to the need to encourage programs such as Health Corps where the impetus for greater physical activity is the essence of the philosophy behind the initiative. The program is particularly needed in the city's low-income communities where an obesity epidemic is creating a health crisis.

The city and the state is badly in need of a reformulation of its health policies. We need to move away from reliance on hospitals and acute care and towards preventative policies that encourage lifestyle changes that move New Yorkers towards healthier lives.