•April 4, 2018•

A new study published in the journal Health Affairs has attached a hefty price tag to the issue of inactivity in American children.

According to the study, only about 40% of children get 25 minutes of high-calorie-burning physical activity three times a week, which could result in $1.1 trillion in direct medical costs over the course of their lifetimes.

This is something Erin Kennedy, OSF HealthCare Center for Healthy Lifestyles Manager, says could be changed with a little early intervention.

“Exercise should be fun, and when you start at a young age it will not become a chore, but it will be something that people look forward to,” she said. “That’s what our communities need. We need to want to be physically active, and want to be outside of that house.”     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.