The Nation - News from Aug. 26, 1987

Half of America’s children are not getting enough exercise and many cannot even pass the most basic fitness tests, yet school physical education programs in many states are in danger of being reduced or eliminated, a pediatricians group warned. The American Academy of Pediatrics called on its members to encourage school districts to beef up or redesign their physical education programs to focus on fitness for all students, not just the star athletes on football and basketball teams. “Athletes are going to be physically fit anyway,” said Dr. Joseph Zanga, a Richmond, Va., pediatrician who co-authored the academy statement. “The children we need to worry about is the child who by nature is a couch potato.”