Active Plus co-founder Tarik Kitson, featured in governing.com

https://www.governing.com/now/Kids-and-the-Link-Between-Exercise-and-Racial-Justice.html

“It made me feel good about myself.”

I work with some of the most underserved kids in New York City, providing health and fitness education through a Harlem-based nonprofit, yet, looking back at this child’s survey response struck a chord for me this week. 

I’m looking at it now with fresh eyes - as America confronts its mistreatment and disrespect for Black lives through daily protests - and it is painfully evident that feeling good and having self worth are emotions that seem like yet another privilege denied to people experiencing persistent discrimination, whether it be in access to education, healthcare, or any other quality of life issue. 

The child’s response to health education, specifically instruction in exercise and sports, was heartwarming - a testament to the years I have dedicated to the nonprofit work - and yet rare, as I know that too many school-age children of color do not receive the recommended amount of daily physical activity, and hence the self esteem and well-being that accompanies it. 

As activists scrutinize local, state and federal budgets and spending on police, perhaps there is an opportunity to do more right by these kids. We could invest additional public and private funding towards physical education, for example. 

People of color disproportionately suffer from obesity, a key risk factor for prolonged illnesses such as cancer and diabetes. Recently, researchers identified that obese patients with COVID-19 were more likely to be admitted to acute or critical care, compared to non-obese individuals. 

Long before the global public health emergency and the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, communities of color in Harlem and surrounding neighborhoods have experienced staggering health inequities, particularly with respect to obesity. In East Harlem alone, one in three people are obese (in New York City, it is one in five).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that childhood obesity may be preventable by consuming fresh and healthy food along with daily physical activity. Yet, in underserved communities, access to safe places to exercise are not always available. We at Active Plus intervene in schools and communities to provide free exercise and cooking classes in a welcoming environment (including virtually during the pandemic). We believe regular coaching our kids teaches them skills that will literally last a lifetime, and may even save their life.

It’s now expected that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures, even more children are at risk of becoming obese. At the same time, New York families are still managing the trauma of COVID-19, and the virus’ disproportionate incidence in people of color is well established. For families unaffected directly from the virus, the indirect adverse effects of stay-at-home orders and quarantine may lead not just to reduced physical activity, but also mental health and isolation related concerns. 

As a Black man with years of experience in public health, I am cautiously optimistic that with the renewed focus on addressing racism and strengthening communities, we may be able to break the cycle of poor health outcomes among minorities. I am particularly grateful to the businesses, schools, and individuals that are relentlessly focusing on correcting inequities and creating healthy and hopeful communities.

One should never let a good crisis go to waste, so the saying goes from Winston Churchill. While stories of police brutality are disturbing, a silver lining is that Americans are paying closer attention to how public funds are distributed; this is an invaluable opportunity to re-evaluate our priorities and fund solutions that make communities strong again. Investment in exercise and nutrition education now has a chance to be a public health priority in New York and beyond.

The self esteem blossoming in children and teens; the feeling that exercise “made me feel good about myself” is a welcome antidote to the degrading effects of lingering institutional racism that impedes a child’s self worth and leads to dangerous health outcomes, such as obesity-related cancer, diabetes, or depression. 

It is my sincere belief that exercise and nutrition programming creates a positive impact when our community needs it the most. We can, and we must, invest in health education for our kids. They matter.