Summary of the American Heart Association scientific statement: promoting physical activity in children and youth: a leadership role for schools.

Schools have long played an important role in providing students with healthful physical activity. However, the decline in population-level physical activity suggests that schools should play an even greater role in providing and promoting physical activity. Recently, the American Heart Association issued a set of recommendations that, if implemented, would position schools as leaders in helping children and youth become more physically active. This article summarizes an American Heart Association scientific statement on physical activity and the schools that was recently developed by the Association's Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism in collaboration with the Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young and the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing.