AP PHOTO / BRIAN BLANCOY   St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford looks for an open receiver during on Oct. 24, 2010, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla. The Cherokee Nation citizen has teamed with the United States Department of Agriculture to encourage Native American youth to get active.Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack welcomed Bradford to the USDA on April 27 and joined him in urging Native American youth to spend the summer pursuing healthy outdoor activities. Bradford participated with more than 30 Native American students at the USDA People’s Garden in planting a Native American garden called The Roots of American Agriculture.

“Through programs like ‘Fuel Up to Play 60’ and Let’s Move!, the Obama administration is helping get kids active in order to help them have a healthy future,” Vilsack said. “Our partners at the NFL and across the country are key to engaging kids in an exciting way that teaches them that physical activity can be fun, while also important to their health.”

Bradford and Vilsack noted that a recent study of 4-year-old children found that obesity is more than twice as common among American Indian/Alaska Native children than among white or Asian children.

In 2002, nearly 15 percent of those receiving care from the Indian Health Service were estimated to have diabetes.

The People’s Garden initiative promotes the establishment of school and community gardens to grow healthy food, people and communities across the country. Those participating included students representing Eastern and Western tribes, Southeast Alaska and a class from a Native elementary school in Tuba City, Ariz. The garden showcases heirloom Native American crops and planting techniques and celebrates the contributions Natives have made to the foods eaten today.The Let’s Move! initiative, which aims to end childhood obesity, has also since joined in support of Fuel Up to Play 60 and USDA’s HealthierUS Schools Challenge, which are both helping to combat childhood obesity and provide access to nutrition information.

Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program launched by the National Dairy Council and NFL, with additional partnership support from USDA. The program encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods and achieve 60 minutes of physical activity daily. It is designed to engage and empower youth to take action for their own health by implementing long-term, positive changes for themselves and their schools.