Introduction
America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic.  If today's children are to be spared the ravages of premature chronic disease and disability, our society must take actions to reverse the trends that have produced the current situation.  Hence the American Heart Association recently released a Scientific Statement that called upon U.S. schools to assume leadership in increasing the physical activity levels of American children and youth.(1)

Though obesity statistics are particularly striking in the U.S., the obesity epidemic is rapidly becoming a worldwide pandemic.  This article summarizes large scale school-based initiatives that are underway in three nations that share many cultural elements with the U.S.: Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom
In 2002, the national PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy was launched through a joint effort of the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The purpose of this program is to enhance the opportunities and access school-aged children have to sporting activities. The long-term goal is to offer all children four hours of sport every week, consisting of at least 2 hours of high-quality physical education and an additional 2-3 hours beyond the school day that is provided both by the school and community and club providers. The strategy is implemented through nine components including: Sports Colleges, School Sport Partnerships, Professional Development, Step into Sport, Club Links, Gifted and Talented Programs, Sporting Playgrounds, Swimming Initiatives, and the QCA’s PE and School Sport Investigation. With the support of the Youth Sports Trust, SportEngland and SportScotland, parents, school administrators, coaches, and local authorities have access to information regarding best practices on providing opportunities for sport to children and adolescents. The PESSCL strategy also provides educators with several tools to help them gauge their PE and sport program quality, develop new and engaging PE curriculum, and ensure the inclusion of all students in sport and physical activity programs.

In addition, the National Healthy School Standard was developed to assist local program coordinators and provide accreditation to education and health partnerships. The aim is to help schools become healthier settings through the development of these partnerships. The physical activity standard requires that schools have a whole school approach to physical activity which includes a standard of 2 hours per week of PE, staff wellness, community and neighborhood partnerships, and teacher and coach professional development opportunities.

Australia
In order to address overweight and obesity in Australia, the Australian government has invested in the Building a Healthy, Active Australia initiative that promotes health through several avenues including the Active Australia Schools network, Targeted Sports Participation Growth Program, the Indigenous Sports Program and the Out of School Hours Sports Programs. The Active After-school Communities program, developed in conjunction with the Australian Sports Commission, provides small grants to schools and organizations to deliver supervised opportunities for physical activity and sport during after-school hours at no extra cost to families. The Active School Curriculum requires schools to include in their curriculum at least two hours of physical activity each school week for primary and secondary school children. The curriculum also encourages activity through access to school equipment, playgrounds and sporting fields. Similar to the UK system, Australia is committed to providing sport opportunities to all children and adolescents through both the school systems and after-school programming.

New Zealand
The Active Schools Initiative and the Physical Activity Initiative are two complementary programs that provide New Zealand children and adolescents with opportunities for quality physical activity and sport. Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) recognizes that in order for children to choose and continue their physical activity participation, their experiences have to be fun and educational. SPARC provides schools with an Active Schools Toolkit that encourages educators to incorporate physical activity across the curriculum and ways to involve families and communities in providing physical activity opportunities to children. The Toolkit has components including: Get Ready aimed at principals and high-level decision makers, Get Started for teachers, Get Going activity cards for classroom based activity ideas, Get Into It, an interactive CD and music experience, Outdoor Activities Guidelines for Teachers, and Healthy Eating in Active Schools booklet. The Regional Sports Trusts provide training on the Active Schools Toolkit and continued support for educators. SPARC also provides the KiwiDex program to teachers. KiwiDex is a program that allows teachers to incorporate safe, fun, and appropriate physical activities into daily routines. The program provides teachers with the tools necessary to incorporate activity into the daily schedule outside of scheduled PE classes.

Conclusion
Although the programs described are by no means a comprehensive list, we can learn several things from the programs established in other countries. The emphasis on sport is clear in the programs described, but the efforts in these programs are towards inclusion of all students. There are also specific opportunities for further advancement of skilled athletes through the Gifted and Talented programs and Sporting Colleges. These programs and initiatives are also committed to providing support, both financial and informational, to schools, parents, local authorities, and community programs to help them provide fun, safe, and appropriate activities for children both in school and during after-school hours.

For more information on the programs described, please see the following websites:

www.teachernet.gov.uk/pe
www.sportengland.org
www.sportscotland.org
www.youthsporttrust.org
www.ncss.org.uk
www.healthyactive.gov.au
www.sparc.org.nz

Reference:
(1) Pate, R. R., Davis, M.G., Robinson, T. N., Stone, E. J., McKenzie, T. L., and Young, J. C. (2006). Promoting Physical Activity in Children and Youth. A Leadership Role for Schools. A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism (Physical Activity Committee) in Collaboration With the Councils on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young and Cardiovascular Nursing. Circulation, 114: [Epub ahead of print]: Available online at http://www.circulationaha.org