Kids' 'Walking School Bus' Battles Bulge

June 1, 2004 -- With obesity on the rise and millions of children nationwide routinely riding the bus to school every day, some children and parents in a Cincinnati, Ohio, elementary school are fighting the battle of the bulge — with their feet.

Children from Kilgour Elementary School and parent volunteers walk a milelong route to school and pick up their classmates along the way like a typical bus would as part of a program called "Walking School Bus." Their walking leader, Jay McKillop, a father of two, started the program last August after he came across the idea while doing research on the Internet.

While programs similar to "Walking School Bus" are popular in only a handful of communities in the United States, they are very popular in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. So far, McKillop says, "Walking School Bus" has been popular with the children — even though they're mostly unaware that they are doing something for their own health.

"The kids — I can't say enough about just how enthused they are about it and at the same time how cool it is," McKillop said. "They don't realize that what they're doing is making them physically fit and accomplishing all these goals. They're just enjoying it."

Walking Inspiration

The efforts of McKillop and the children of Kilgour Elementary have inspired the start of what they hope will be a growing trend. Inspired by "Walking School Bus," Kilgour Elementary school principal Angela Cook launched a schoolwide program called "Get in Step." In this initiative, students are given pedometers and with their teachers' help, they count and chart their steps and compete with each other to see who can walk the most.

"The pedometers, I think, have been the catalyst to get the kids walking, trying to take more steps during their noon recess, or even in the classroom," said second-grade teacher Barbara Fay. "When they come to school in the morning, they are more exuberant, more attentive and energetic about starting the day. You don't see any sleepy faces from people who've walked to school."

New Weapon in the Battle of the Bulge?

Last January, the U.S. Surgeon General called childhood obesity a national epidemic. According to an ABC News/Time magazine poll, 43 percent of parents with school-age children said their child was not getting enough exercise.

However, exercise is not a problem for the children of Kilgour Elementary, who seem to be enjoying their morning walks.

"In a school bus, it's really loud and noisy and like, it's one big place where you're piled up with other people," said Eva Patterson, 8. "Walking to school … you have space and fresh air."

Jay McKillop hopes "Walking School Bus" will be seriously considered in the fight against childhood obesity and would like to see it spread through similar programs nationwide.

"I would love to see children everywhere being able to walk to school," he said. "I would love to see parents walking their kids. The real goal is to get feet walking down the street."

See how you can start a "Walking School Bus" program in your community:

U.S. Programs

World Programs

Programs in Canada

Reported by Ann Pleshette Murphy on ABC News' Good Morning America.