Children with disabilities are at greater risk for developing poorer health, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and various activity limitations, because they are not obtaining an appropriate amount of regular physical activity and have lower fitness levels compared to non-disabled youth. To address this problem and assist children and youth with disabilities, the Office on Disability of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OD/HHS) and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) are sponsoring a National Initiative to enhance physical activity, good nutrition, fitness, and healthy lifestyles in children and youth with disabilities. The Initiative will link physically-fit adults with and without disabilities as mentors to motivate children with disabilities to adopt the lifestyle of becoming and remaining physically active and fit throughout their lifetimes. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports' President's Challenge (http://www.ncpad.org/678/2957/2004-05-01#1) will serve as the motivational tool.

A Roll-out Celebration announcing this National Initiative will be held on Wednesday, May 26 at 1:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Hubert Humphrey Building (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. Chair of the Celebration will be Dr. Margaret Giannini, Director of the Office on Disability of HHS and creator of this exciting initiative. All professional and advocacy organizations on disability, individuals with disabilities, public health officials, Federal and state agency officials that provide programs for persons with disabilities, and other interested parties have been formally invited to this event.

For more information, please contact the Office on Disability at 202-401-5844 or click on http://www.ncpad.org/678/2957/2004-05-01#2.

In recognition of this national initiative, NCHPAD is featuring a special children's newsletter insert this month called IMPACT (Improving Movement through Physical activity for ALL Children Today). Topics include camp information, such as NCPAD's Summer Camp Resources 2004 factsheet ( http://www.ncpad.org/78/597/Camp~Resources), Kid-Fit, a program involving fitness and nutrition education for preschoolers, and more. Access the entire insert at http://www.ncpad.org/get/misc/Impact/index0504.pdf.