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STORIES Connecticut is Americas top state for raising healthy kids, while Alaska ranks lowest on a list compiled by Child Magazine. No state has a mo nopoly on health, but some may make it a bit easier to achieve, the surv ey shows. Not that long ago, the list might have looked somewhat different. Connect icut rose to the top with school-based measures that took effect last Ju ly, says the magazine. What happens at home and in leisure time also help shape childrens health habits, for b etter or worse. Just one state requires PE for all students daily, only one in four specifies a reasonable physical ed ucation class size, and only two-thirds teach elementary school students about nutrition, says the article.
Alaska States were rated by a panel of health, fitness, and nutrition experts fo r the magazine. Judging was based on more than a dozen criteria, includi ng school requirements and recommendations for physical education and nu trition classes, playground safety, youth sports participation, and the number of fast-food restaurants. Why Connecticut Won Connecticut impressed the judges with a new state law requiring students in kindergarten through fifth grade to get daily physical activity at sc hool (physical education classes or recess). Connecticut encourages 60-9 0 minutes of physical education per week for kindergarten through third- graders, and 80-120 minutes per week for fourth through sixth graders, s ays the magazine. Connecticut law now also requires schools to sell low-fat dairy products, water, and fruit whenever kids can purchase other foods, says the artic le. Beyond that, five Connecticut schools have totally swapped junk food and soda in their cafeterias for healthier items such as yogurt and fruit. A dietitian working on the pilot project, which started last fall, told t he magazine she hasnt heard any gripes about it from students. Why Other States Stumbled States slipped further down the list if they didnt require physical educ ation or nutrition classes, or if their playgrounds were unsafe. In the lowest-ranked state -- Alaska -- only high school students are req uired to take physical education, and those classes usually arent taugh t by certified PE specialists, says the magazine. Alaskas playgrounds in state parks also werent in good shape, according to the article. Thats the state with the highest perc entage of heavy high school students, says the magazine, citing a govern ment study of 32 states. Around 15 percent of Mississippi students are t oo heavy and another 15 percent are on the verge of being overweight, sa ys the magazine. The Rest of the Rankings Heres how the other states rated: 6 Maine 7 West Virginia 8 Wisconsin 9 Arkansas 10. South Dakota The survey appears in the magazines April issue.
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