BUFFALO, N.Y. --The United Way released its childhood obesity report card for Erie County Friday and the results are not good.
Thirty-two percent of children in Erie County are considered obese or overweight. While that is lower than the statewide average, that's up from 28-percent in 2008.
The key of course is to get kids to exercise and eat healthy food. That can be tough for children who live in food deserts where healthy food isn't sold.
The report card from the United Way breaks down childhood obesity by school district. It says districts with lower average household incomes tend to have higher rates of obesity and this all corresponds with a lack of access to healthy food and sports facilities.
Lakeshore had the highest percentage of obese and overweight children at 44-percent. Orchard Park had the lowest at 25-percent.
Anna-Lesa Calvert runs the Soccer for Success program in Buffalo for kids in grades K though 8. It allows hundreds of students to play soccer three times a week during the school year, and it's free. It isn't results driven with wins and losses. The main goal is to help kids stay healthy.
"For outdoor sites, we do game days and we had a game where we had one kid told me she brought twenty family members. There were at least 250 parents and adults and family members out there cheering for their kids. We do a farmers market on those days so everyone leaves with healthy fruits and vegetables that they can use on the weekends. So we're really trying to integrate the entire family into it and really make an impact as a whole," says Calvert.
Calvert says transportation can also be an issue for kids if an athletic facility is far away. Cost is also a major factor since most sports are now pay to play.
Calvert's hope is that kids get interested in sports early, then try out for high school teams because she says student athletes are more likely to graduate and tend to lead healthier lives in the long run.
