Swimming May be Most Promising Activity to Get Latino Kids Active

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Swimming in school may be the most promising physical activity to get and keep Latino and all kids active in and out of school.

Kids who receive physical education (PE) in school are more active outside of school, according to the Physical Activity Council (PAC) 2016 Participation Report.

This is particularly relevant for Latino kids who are at increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases related to inactivity.

The PAC annually tracks US participation in 120 sports, fitness, and recreation activities and found that all age groups rate swimming for fitness in their top three favorite interests among 10 different activities. For example, children ages 6-17 rate swimming as their second favorite interest behind camping. Individuals ages 25-35 rate swimming as their number one interest among camping, bicycling, hiking, running, canoeing, backpacking, working with machines, working with weights or kayaking.

Unfortunately, a vast majority of the public does not have access to swimming facilities, thus has low to no swim ability. Seventy percent of African-American children, 60%  of Latino children, and 40% of Caucasian children have low or no swimming ability, which increases their risk of drowning and drowning related injuries and shuts them off from numerous water activities that are associated with physiological, emotional, and behavioral development.

Based on two key findings from this report, swimming during PE could have the most positive impact on Latino kid’s physical activity and overall health and wellness now and in the future.

Read this Salud Hero story about a foster mom who fought to prevent a neighborhood pool from closing in a low income area of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Watch this Salud Hero video about a special needs teacher who coordinated water safety lessons for her students in Broward County, Florida.