Recently the local Sunday newspaper picked up a couple of important things. In one, Rob Stein of the Washington Post reports a study of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Center for Child Health Research. It found nearly a million kids suffer from a constellation of risk factors for diabetes and early heart disease.

Three out of four overweight kids become overweight adults. The number of overweight kids tripled between 1970 and 2000, and that's what's driving the increased risk. Jonathan Klein of the Academy called the findings "dramatically high--it's almost one out of every 20 kids. That's at least one child in every kindergarten class."

In another, Bruce Taylor Seeman of Newhouse News Service reports the success of a new program called Hearts 'N Parks. It's co-sponsored by the National Recreation and Park Association and the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, part of the federal National Institutes of Health. Last year, of communities that had heard there would be this new summer program, fifty were chosen as magnet centers. That means they agreed to three-year commitments to expand their programs every year and report results of before and after surveys. Progress of 1200 kids between the ages of 6 and 15 was reported, from participating communities in eleven states chosen because their residents face the highest risk of heart disease (Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, and Nevada).

The program trains communities in how to hold summer camps with an educational emphasis on good health: avoiding junk food and finding joy in breaking a sweat. Kids not only play sports but also attend classes on healthy habits. Questionnaires at the beginning and end measure whether their attitudes and habits have evolved.

Hearts 'N Parks survey results showed that children increased ability and willingness to identify and choose healthier foods. Girls scored better than boys did on the nutrition questions. Results also showed the program-boosted interest in physical activities. Boys scored higher than girls did on attitude toward physical activity.

I haven't been able to find out if Hearts 'N Parks are a continuing program. Let's hope so. It would be great to have them expand to California.