More than 500 students at Gardnerville Elementary School participated in Jump Rope for Heart, a physical education jump roping program designed to teach kids about healthy hearts.
Gardnerville Elementary teacher Doug Odell said the program has been around since 1978 and has taught students how nutrition and physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke.
"Heart disease is America's No. 1 killer," Odell said.
"Over 9.2 million children and adolescents are considered overweight or obese. Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults."
Odell said obesity increases a person's risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke and many other chronic illnesses that lead to higher health care costs.
"Jump Rope for Heart raises funds for research and programs to reduce heart disease, stroke and their risk factors and to improve health in people of all ages," he said.
For more information, visit www.americanheart.org.
