To raise fit kids, be fit yourself

To today's generation of kids, the word "play" has taken on a wholly different meaning from their parents' and grandparents' definitions.

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Their version of "play" is usually done indoors in a dark room, and involves an electronic gadget like a cellphone, tablet, computer, or console. If there's anyone getting any action in this kind of play, it's the avatars or characters on the screen, as kids control their every move from the comforts of their seats or beds.

"It's this type of 'play' that may lead youngsters to develop noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) years before they become adults," says Dr. Bernadette C. Benitez, head of the Department of Pediatrics of Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed). The World Health Organization recognized that physical inactivity is a contributor to the rise in overweight and obesity, and a leading risk factor for global mortality.

Dr. Benitez elaborates, "Obesity, in turn, can lead to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and heart disease which are thought to be a middle-aged person's diseases, conditions that happen over time owing to poor lifestyle and eating habits. Children are likely to develop such diseases early if they live sedentarily and maintain a diet of processed food."