June 20, 2002
For Release:
Immediately

Contact: Janice Meer
(202) 690-5179

President Appoints New Members to the
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Washington, D.C. – President George W. Bush has appointed twenty members to the President´s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The new Council flanked the President on the south lawn of the White House at a Fitness Expo, where he announced his HealthierUS initiative to motivate Americans to increase their per- sonal fitness and become healthier.

"These men and women bring wide experience and leadership in the fields of medicine, education, s

DHHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson swears in Council Chairman Lynn Swann and Council Vice Chair Dot Richardson with assistance from Council Executive Director Lisa Oliphant.

ports and other disciplines.  And they are convening at a critical time," the Secretary said.

FACT SHEET

Overview: The purpose of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports is to advise the President and the Secretary of Health and Human Services about issues related to physical activity, fitness, and sports, and to recommend programs to promote regular physical activity for the health of the nation. In making recommendations, the Council supports the disease prevention and health promotion objectives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and works to enhance and assist federal, state, local and private sector activities promoting physical activity, fitness, and sports. The Council's programs, projects and campaigns emphasize the importance of regular physical activity, including sports participation, for Americans of all ages and ethnicities, both able and disabled. The Council collaborates with public and private sector sponsors to conduct its programs and to produce public information materials.

The President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards program (the President's Challenge).  The President's Challenge is the cornerstone and longest running program of the Council. The President's Challenge is a fitness recognition program for school-aged children administered by teachers and others who work with youth (e.g. scouts, boys and girls clubs, YMCA/YWCA). Currently, over 6 million youth receive Presidential recognition for their accomplishments in the program's three areas: active lifestyle, physical fitness, and health fitness. The goal of the President's Challenge is to encourage all children, able and disabled, ages 6-17, to participate in regular physical activity. A new component of the program, the President's Adult Active Lifestyle Award, recognizes adults who adopt a physically active lifestyle.

The Presidential Sports Award.  Established in 1972, the Presidential Sports Award is for Americans age 6 and above (individuals, families, organized groups), who participate regularly in one of over 60 sports and fitness activities and meet criteria defined by the National Governing Body for each sport/activity. Families who participate together can earn a Family Fitness Award. The Presidential Sports Award may be used as a motivational tool for promoting regular physical activity and participation in sports (e.g. by sports, dance and martial arts organizations; fitness and wellness centers; youth organizations and clubs; senior centers; church groups; state and local health departments, workplace wellness programs; hospitals/health care providers),

Web site www.fitness.gov is a gateway web site to access the programs and publications of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. From the web site, the public can also access physical activity and health information from the agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal departments, resources from non-profit health and fitness organizations, information on timely topics, current news about physical activity, fitness, and health, and "Fast Notes," a regular column by the executive director.

"May Month"– National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, established by the Council in 1983, is a campaign to promote nationwide physical activity/fitness and sports participation. The President's Council provides materials on its web site during May month to assist organizations and communities wishing to increase physical activity/ fitness and health among their constituencies.

PCPFS Research Digest, a quarterly publication, synthesizes scientific knowledge about topics related to physical activity/fitness and exercise science. Presented in layman's terms, this publication is disseminated widely to fitness professionals as well as interested citizens on the Council web site.

State Champion Award is an annual award program for schools, conducted nationwide in conjunction with state departments of education. Three schools from each state receive the award based on the number of winners of the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, and the school's enrollment. Governors, senators, and representatives of each state receive an announcement of the winners in their states.

National School Demonstration Program, conducted in coordination with state departments of education and/or a designated state coordinator, recognizes elementary, middle, and secondary schools with the highest quality physical education programs within the state.  The schools selected make their programs available to visitors interested in using them as models in developing their own physical education programs.

Healthy People 2010, the Department's national health promotion and disease prevention initiative, has identified physical activity and fitness as one of 28 focus areas for improving the health and fitness of Americans.  The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports was co-lead for the Physical Activity chapter of Healthy People 2010 (with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  In Healthy People 2010, the Department defined 10 Leading Health Indicators representing major public health concerns in the nation which can be improved by changing in individual behaviors. Increased participation in physical activity is listed as the first of the ten indicators.

!Public service advertising campaigns highlighting the benefits of physical activity/fitness for health;

!Collaborations with public and private sponsors to generate public information materials, such as brochures, booklets and public service announcements;

!Promotion of school, employee, and personal physical activity and fitness programs;

!Emphasis on increasing regular physical activity, fitness and sports participation by girls and women, older Americans and persons with disabilities;

!Emphasis on increasing opportunities for regular physical activity for Americans of all ages through community recreation, physical education, and sports;

!Ongoing coordination with departments within the Federal Government on programs for physical activity, fitness and sports;

!Participation by chair and/or vice-chair on inter-governmental task forces and committees to ensure inclusion of physical activity/fitness and sports in policies;

!Participation as a liaison to medical and allied health organizations/ coalitions seeking to develop and implement national programs to improve the health of Americans through physical activity, fitness, sports, and sports medicine.

FACT SHEET

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH

(Citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The following facts are based on information from publications prepared by agencies and offices of the Department of Health and Human Services: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Center for Health Statistics; the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States (Physical Activity and Health, 1996; Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, 2001), and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (Healthy People 2010, 2001).

!Physical inactivity contributes to 300,000 preventable deaths a year in the United States. Some 40% of deaths in the United States are caused by behavior patterns that could be modified. A sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor across the spectrum of preventable diseases that lower the quality of life and kill Americans.

!Significant health benefits can be obtained by including a moderate amount of physical activity (e.g., 30 minutes of brisk walking or raking leaves, 15 minutes of running, 45 minutes of playing volleyball). Additional health benefits can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity.

!Physical activity has been identified as one of the Leading Health Indicators (LHI) in Healthy People 2010, the government's published health goals and objectives for the next decade.

!Moderate daily physical activity can reduce substantially the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, such as colon cancer. Daily physical activity helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, helps prevent or retard osteoporosis, and helps reduce obesity, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and symptoms of arthritis.

!Cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes) is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. Physically inactive people are twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease as regularly active people. The health risk posed by physical inactivity is almost as high as risk factors such as cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

!Nearly half of American adults (4 in 10) report that they are not active at all; 7 in 10 are not moderately active for the recommended 30 minutes a day, 5 or more days a week.

!Poor diet and inactivity can lead to overweight/obesity.  Persons who are overweight or obese are at increased risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems and some types of cancer.

!Poor diet and inactivity can lead to diabetes. Seventeen million Americans have diabetes right now and 16 million more have pre-diabetes. Each year, there are 1 million new cases, and nearly 200,000 people die from diabetes. The cost to the economy is $100 billion annually in direct and indirect medical costs.

!The percentage of adults in the United States who were overweight or obese (body mass index greater than 25) in 1999 was 61%.  Overweight and obesity cuts across all ages, racial and ethnic groups, and both genders.

!Overweight among children and teens has doubled in the past two decades; 13% of children aged 6 to 11 years and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years were overweight in 1999. This prevalence has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past 2 decades.

!The cost of overweight and obesity to the economy is $117 billion annually in direct and indirect medical costs.

!The major barriers most people face when trying to increase physical activity are time, access to convenient facilities, and safe environments in which to be active.

!School-based and workplace based interventions have been shown to be successful in increasing physical activity levels.

!Childhood and adolescence are pivotal times for preventing sedentary behavior among adults by maintaining the habit of physical activity throughout the school years.

!Type 2 diabetes, once called "adult onset" diabetes, and high blood pressure, once thought to be age-related, are now diagnosed in children and teens.

!Physical activity among children and adolescents is important because of the related health benefits (cardio-respiratory function, blood pressure control, weight management, cognitive and emotional benefits).

!Only about one-half of U.S. young people (ages 12-21 years) regularly participate in vigorous physical activity. One-fourth reported no vigorous physical activity. About 14 percent report no recent vigorous or light-to-moderate activity.

!A physically active lifestyle adopted early in life may continue into adulthood.  Even among children aged 3 and 4 years, those who were less active tended to remain less active than most of their peers after age 3 years. According to a study done by the National Association of Sports and Physical Education (NASPE), infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers should engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily and should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time except when sleeping.

!One quarter of U.S. children spend 4 hours or more watching television daily.

!Young people are at particular risk for becoming sedentary as they grow older. Encouraging moderate and vigorous physical activity among youth is important.  Because children spend most of their time in school, the type and amount of physical activity encouraged in schools are important.

!Only 20 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 engaged in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more of the previous 7 days in 1997.

!Only 29 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 participated in daily school physical education in 1999, down from 42 percent in 1991.

!Only 17 percent of middle and junior high school and 2 percent of senior high schools require daily physical activity for all students.

Click on any photo
for a larger image.

President George W. Bush
takes in the excitement of
the White House Fitness
Expo on the South Lawn
with Dallas Cowboys Run-
ning Back Emmitt Smith
June 20. White House
photo by Eric Draper.
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New members of the President´s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports being sworn in.

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