One modifiable risk factor concerning children and physical activity is the amount of time children spend playing video games and watching television. Studies show that physical inactivity is one of the main contributors to childhood obesity (Cain et. al, 2012). By providing more children with the knowledge about the importance of physical activity, this can significantly help to decrease childhood obesity. Another modifiable risk factor includes children who do not play outside or play on the playground during recess at school. By simply encouraging children to play outside and/or play on the playground at school, they are exercising while still having fun and maintaining their health.
One non-modifiable risk factor includes children whose parents are inactive and do not encourage physical activity. Studies show that
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Upon arriving it was hard to miss the high fence and heavy metal door that encased the small playground and building that held three classes of kids aged three to five. Most of the kids came from low-income families. The fence was placed there for safety reasons, as the school was located right next to a busy street. However, the school seemed isolated from other houses and if it were not for the playground, it would have been easy to miss. Children started arriving with their parents around 8 in the morning. A few children enjoyed running around, but most of the children already knew the classes’ morning routine. There were an equal amount of boys and girls in each class and had an evenly dispersed ethnic background. Most of the children were either Hispanic, African American, or Caucasian. The three classes went through their morning activities, practiced writing their names, ate breakfast, sang songs, learned about shapes and colors, and went outside to the playground to