Nearly half of 3 to 5 year olds are not taken outdoors by a parent or caregiver every day.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children play outside as much as possible, for at least 60 minutes a day. Outdoor physical activity is good for preventing childhood obesity, improving motor development, and improving vision and vitamin D levels.
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Nearly 40 percent of Washington's children start kindergarten with tooth decay, and 14 percent of these children have untreated tooth decay.
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Children in poor families were more likely to have ever been diagnosed with asthma (17%) or to still have asthma (12%) than children in families that were not poor (12% and 8%).
Source
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According to the Center of Disease Control, child obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years. Approximately 10% of children ages 2- 5 years are overweight.
Research points to high-fat diets and lack of exercise as the reasons more and more preschoolers are on their way to obesity. Potential health problems include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
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14% of children between the ages of 2 and 5 are
considered obese due, in part, to the purchase of cheaper, less nutritious foods as well
as insufficient access to fresh fruits and vegetables in many low-income neighborhoods
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In 2010 1 in 5 households with children were 'food insecure', and in half of those the children themselves were food insecure.
Diet influences all facets of a child's growth: physical, mental, cognitive, and psychosocial. Brain development can be restricted by even mild malnutrition, and chronic under-nutrition can lead to life-long cognitive limitations and behavioral impairments.
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