Currently the United States has 50.1 million high school students. Of these high school students 39.5% is obese. The main causes of obesity at this age are a lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits, as stated by the World Health Organization (WHO). The average distance in the United States from a high school to a student’s home is only three miles. This average distance for a cyclist to bike three miles is 12 minutes. Exercise in the form of biking to school every day reduces the risk of heart disease and other leading causes of death.

Although obesity is rising in the United States there is something that can be done to reduce the health risks and the financial costs attached to this. Schools can become more bike friendly to reduce child obesity.

A school can become more bike friendly by installing bike racks and ensuring safe way to get to school on bike, such a posters with bike riding rules. On top of that the school bus should only pick up students who live beyond a distance of five miles from school. This proposal will allow students to gain exercise every day and help students develop healthy exercise habits.