Not only is there a desire to be healthy and active, but there is a serious need as well. According to the American Obesity Association, 30.5% of Americas are obese. In children, this figure is 15.3%.

Statistics from the American Obesity Association also state that:

• The number of adults who are overweight or obese has continued to increase. Currently, 64.5 percent of U.S. adults, age 20 years and older, are overweight and 30.5 percent are obese. Severe obesity prevalence is now 4.7 percent, up from 2.9 percent reported in the 1988 - 1994 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Approximately 30.3 percent of children (ages 6 to 11) are overweight and 15.3 percent are obese. For adolescents (ages 12 to 19), 30.4 percent are overweight and 15.5 percent are obese.
• Excess weight in childhood and adolescence has been found to predict overweight in adults. Overweight children, aged 10 to 14, with at least one overweight or obese parent (BMI> 27.3 for women and > 27.8 for men in one study), were reported to have a 79 percent likelihood of overweight persisting into adulthood.

Various health affects are caused by being overweight, such as:

• Asthma
• Diabetes (type 2)
• Hypertension
• Orthopedic Complications
• Psychosocial Effects & Stigma
• Sleep Apnea

This is why it is important to encourage being active not only for parents in families, but for their children as well.