Personal Trainers for Kids on the Increase

Kids Working with Fitness Experts Hone Skills, Lose Weight, Get Healthy

American kids are increasingly being tuned in and turned over to personal fitness trainers to help them hone sports skills, lose weight and get healthy. A growing number of American kids and their parents are seeking out professional fitness specialists, whether that be at local YMCA community centers or upscale health and fitness clubs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of children ages 6 to 11 who are overweight increased from 7 percent in the mid-1970s to almost 19 percent in 2004. For those between the ages of 12 and 19, the prevalence of being overweight increased from 5 percent to more than 17 percent, during this same time period. With childhood obesity so clearly on the rise, an increasing number of parents are willing to pay to have a professional trainer work with their children as a means of curbing their kids' poor eating and fitness habits and assisting with positive motivation and support in just living more active and healthier lifestyles.

The American Medical Association is following the lead of U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, MD, who calls obesity the greatest threat to public health today. As for children, he said, obesity is causing problems now that were unthinkable as recently as 20 years ago. The AMA website says that at the last meeting of the AMA Working Group on Managing Childhood Obesity held in Chicago, the goal was to develop strategies to help doctors work more effectively with families, youth organizations, schools, public health agencies and community groups to address obesity in children.