Tomorrow morning an estimated 8-thousand local schoolchildren will walk to school rather than riding in a bus or car. The 5th annual Walk to School Day is the centerpiece of Metro Health Department’s Walk Nashville Week.
Department spokesman Brian Todd says the week’s events are designed to remind people how easy it can be to make physical activity a part of their daily lives. He says it’s especially important to convey that message to children.
“What we are finding is an alarming growth nationwide of obesity in children, of type 2 diabetes which in the past has been more likely to occur in adults, we’re seeing that more in children, which are indicators that our children need to be more active, and this is really to get them moving.”
46 Nashville-area schools plan to participate. In most cases, students and their families will gather at designated locations a short distance from the school, then walk in as a group.
The Health Department will continue Walk Nashville Week with programs for Seniors on Thursday. Workers are encouraged to pack lunch and walk to a park or other outdoor space to eat on Friday. And Saturday has been designated Walk Your Greenways day.
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