423 Lee Street Apartment B

Blacksburg, VA 24060
(540) 521-6726
xiaolu6@vt.edu
April 13, 2014
Honorable H. Morgan Griffith
House of Representatives
1108 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Griffith,
I respectfully request your support and sponsorship of H.R.2178/S.1033, also known as the Fitness Integrated
with Teaching Kids (FIT Kids) Act. This bill was introduced by Congressional Representative Ron Kind (DWI) in the House in May of 2013 and is currently supported by 38 cosponsors. An identical bill was introduced
by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) in the Senate. The FIT Kids Act will help American children to learn and
maintain a healthy lifestyle to help them grow up to be healthy, happy, and productive adults by giving them the
opportunity and knowledge needed to get regular, high-quality physical activity and education.
You are likely aware that the obesity epidemic in the U.S. unfortunately extends to not just adults but children
as well. Almost one-third of American kids are overweight or obese, a situation which is simply not acceptable.
Research has shown that children who struggle with overweight and obesity are more likely to grow up into
adults who continue to struggle with them. They are also more likely to develop a number of co-morbidities,
including type 2 diabetes and hypertension, which used to be found primarily in older adults. Although I am
not yet a parent, I know this is not the future that I wish for them to have, and Im hopeful you feel the same.
I believe the FIT Kids Act would be a significant step toward securing a brighter, healthy future for Americas
children. Since children spend so much of their days in school, its important that these schools provide the
time, facilities, and education to support regular physical activity. When I was growing up, PE class was
mandatory until the last years of high school and those of us in the class were active every day we had school.
Recently, I was shocked to learn that most children now have PE only once or twice a week even though the
Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PAGA) recommend that children be active for at least 1 hour per
day, with 30 minutes of this activity during the school day. The education that our kids receive in school should
extend beyond history or math to include healthy habits for life. We need to make healthy nutrition and
physical activity an essential part of education from an early stage if we want our children to live longer,
happier lives than ourselves, or at least lives of comparable length and quality. There is also research showing a
strong link between physical activity in school and higher academic achievement. Even for those who may
place higher value on the latter, the FIT Kids Act is a worthy investment.
I hope you agree that the current and future health and happiness of our children is a top priority for this
country. Please support and sponsor this legislation if you do. I would greatly appreciate a reply indicating
your position on the FIT Kids Act. If you are not in support of this bill, I would be curious to know your
reasons.
Respectfully,
/s/
Xiaolu Hou