Local parents, students, teachers participate in Walk to School Day
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Parents, students and teachers across Indiana are encouraged to walk to school as part of National Walk to School Day on Wednesday.
The Indiana State Department of Health said staying physically active helps reduce the risk of diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. It said taking walks is a good way of getting in some simple exercise.
In Carmel, more than 100 students and teachers at Cherry Tree Elementary school walked at least one mile to school.
“Walking is a great way to increase physical activity for everyone, particularly children,” said State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams, M.D., M.P.H. “It also helps fight obesity,” he continued. “By encouraging children to be physically active at an early age, we have a greater chance of reducing the number of Indiana residents who die from preventable disease.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children in school should engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. A survey from the 2015 Indiana Youth Risk Behavior survey said only 25 percent of Indiana youth meets that national recommendation. It also showed 30.9 percent of Indiana high school students were considered overweight or obese.
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