By: Stephanie Peterson Fitbit Charge HR To be considered by the principal at the Lafayette Middle School. By: Stephanie Peterson

Fitbit Charge HR A watch worn on the wrist connects to the App through Bluetooth technology. The app tracks and organizes activity throughout the day to create an easy to read visual.

Childhood obesity is becoming more and more prevalent in America. Approximately 17% of children ages 2-19, are classified as obese. Childhood obesity is linked to obesity in adult life. It is important that health, fitness, and nutrition education are taught at a young age. Elementary school is the perfect opportunity for health education.

The goal of using the Fitbit app is to help decrease childhood obesity. The easy to understand Fitbit display provides a great visual, especially for children. Fitbit will provide a fun and competitive way of increasing exercise. Fitbit will motivate children because of the different rewards and achievements they can receive.

Steps Fitbit will track how many steps per day each student takes. It also records total steps per week and steps per month. Children can set an individual step goal per day, which gym teachers can help to form. Students can strive each day to reach this step goal. This will force them to get up and move. This will help to motivate students to stay active.

Heart Rate Getting children’s heart rates up is extremely important to improve their cardiovascular fitness. Children SHOULD have a higher VO2 Max, but children with obesity have a surprisingly low VO2 Max. Fitbit has heart rate sensors, which display heart rate at any given movement. Fitbit also displays heart rate zones, based on age.

Distance Fitbit can monitor the miles covered per day. Again, the children can strive to reach a certain number of miles. This will help students go from a sedentary lifestyle to a more active lifestyle.

Calories Burned Based on recorded daily activity, Fitbit can determine how many calories each student has burned. The number of calories burned can help create a caloric deficit, in which the child burns off more calories than they consume.

Floors Climbed Fitbit can monitor the number of floors climbed per day. Going up stairs is an indicator of how active you are in a day.

Active Minutes Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day (Physical Activity Guidelines). Fitbit makes it easy for children to see how many active minutes they have participated in for that particular day. They can strive for 60 or more minutes.

Track Your Exercise Children can start a “new workout” at the beginning of an activity and see how that particular activity impacts their day. Fitbit makes it clear how one workout can allow them to reach all of the goals.

Weight Children can log and monitor weight changes through Fitbit. They can also set goals.

Sleep Children will be able to track their sleep. They should be getting greater than 8 hours or sleep per night. Having the visual of their sleep patterns may motivate them to get to sleep earlier.

Food and Drink Children can log food using the Fitbit app. They can see the difference between calories in vs. calories out. This may help them consider healthier food options. Children will be able to keep track of water intake throughout the day. The visual will help increase the amount of water drank, and therefore provide better hydration.

Where to buy? Cost? The Charge HR can be purchased directly from the Fitbit website at https://www.fitbit.com/chargehr It can also be purchased at local Sports Equipment stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods (http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=50770466) The Charge HR wristband costs $149.99 and the app download is free.

References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/