Weekend access to school playgrounds may be a solution to the rising obesity epidemic in children.
In a recent study researchers measured the body fat of 15 hundred adolescent girls, and combined that information with their access to playgrounds and athletic facilities over the weekend.
They found girls with high BMI's were more likely to live near schools with locked playgrounds.
They were also more likely to live in a poor neighborhood which some experts say may contribute to the increased risk for obesity.
Experts say poor neighborhoods are more likely to be crime ridden and have less health food stores.
A policy change that allows access to playgrounds on the weekend may overcome these factors and help kids stay active.
Weekends On The Playground Could Stop Child Obesity