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Most pediatricians promoting physical fitness, nutrition

Eight out of 10 pediatricians talk to children and their parents about the benefits of regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and encourage their participation in "lifetime" activities that promote fitness (85.9 percent, 79.2 percent, respectively), according to a 1995 AAP Periodic Survey of Fellows.

More than half (57.6 percent) encourage parents to plan physical activities regularly for their family, while 34.7 percent inquire about the parents' level of physical activity. Parents, however, generally do not seek information about physical activity. On average, pediatricians say, only about 13 percent of parents ask for suggestions on which physical activities to initiate — either for the child or for the family — and only 11 percent ask how to begin or get involved in fitness activities.