据路透社2月4日报道，为了解决儿童肥胖问题，墨西哥一所学校在教室里配备了装有自行车踏板的新式课桌，让学生一边上课，一边“踩单车”燃烧卡路里。↓
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路透社报道：自行车课桌帮助墨西哥学生一边学习一边燃烧卡路里
Rows of sleek new school desks equipped with bike pedals are allowing students in Mexico to power through their class work while cranking out some light exercise, burning off calories in a country known for its alarming obesity rates.
路透社报道称，墨西哥蒙特雷市的一所高中启用了这款“自行车课桌”。它给学生带来的好处不仅仅是能锻炼身体。一名13岁的学生表示：“当我们身体动起来时，我们也更能集中注意力。太不可思议了。”
But for the students at a high school just outside the bustling city of Monterrey, the new bike desks offer benefits beyond exercise.
"When we're physically active it also helps keep us focused," said 13-year-old Reimy Rodriguez, in her first year at Public High School 24. "It's actually incredible."
目前，该校已经有两间教室装配了这种新式课桌，学校计划将这种课桌推广到全部21间教室。
The school currently features two classrooms fully decked out with the new desks, but the plan is to gradually add them to all 21 classrooms.
该校校长桑贾尼塔·加西亚表示，新冠疫情结束后，这种“自行车课桌”尤其有利于那些容易发胖的男生控制体重。
“回到教室上课后，我们注意到男孩们很焦虑，很多人都有肥胖问题。”校长说，“我们试图通过这个项目解决这个问题。”
Sanjuanita Garcia, the school's principal, points to the bike desks' post-pandemic benefits, especially for boys more vulnerable to excessive weight gain.
"After we got back to in-person classes, we began to observe lots of anxiety among our boys and how obesity shot up," she said.
"With this project, we're trying to break down the problem," she added.
综合路透社、英国《地铁报》（Metro）报道，墨西哥的肥胖率非常高，超过三分之一的人口超重，超过75%的人体重超过健康标准，儿童的体重也在不断上升。
Mexico has a desperately high obesity rate, with more than a third of its population dangerously overweight and more than 75% at a greater weight than is considered healthy. And as children age, many pack on the pounds.
最近的一项全国性研究显示，墨西哥约8%的5岁以下儿童超重，5至11岁儿童的肥胖率更是几乎达到19%。
A recent national study showed about 8% of children under 5 were overweight or obese, which rises to almost 19% for kids between 5-11 years old.
这种趋势始于20世纪80年代，被广泛归因于廉价、批量生产的加工食品进入国民饮食。
It represents a relatively recent trend, beginning in the 1980s and widely attributed to the introduction of cheap, mass-produced processed food into the national diet.
英国《地铁报》指出，童年时期超重，会对儿童健康造成诸多危害，包括增加患糖尿病（diabetes）、高血压（high blood pressure）、肝病、骨骼和关节问题、以及疲劳和哮喘（asthma）的风险。
大多数儿童在成长过程中都无法摆脱在早年产生的体重问题，而成年后肥胖会导致中风（strokes）、心脏病和失智症（dementia）等疾病。
Large amounts of excess body weight during early years poses numerous dangers to children’s health, including increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease, bone and joint problems, fatigue and asthma.
Most children do not outgrow weight problems acquired in early life, and obesity in adulthood is known to contribute to strokes, heart disease, and dementia.
综合来源：路透社，地铁报，海外网
