Importance of Physical Education in Elementary Schools

Becoming increasingly more active is vital to combating and reducing obesity in children. Healthful, fitness habits, then, must be jumpstarted at institutions where all American children spend mandatory time, such as in a child’s school; evidently, “normal weight children get 16 more minutes of

Dear Mrs. Smith, Physical Education is good for use because that's the time we take we take out all are energy. So we can waist are energy so can get throw the rest of the day. Physical Education is for us to learn about are body's and how they work and how we watch what we are eating and doing in are lives. I want to know that I can have fun and do fun sports and learn about are body's parts and how they work.

It is no secret that childhood obesity is a problem in America. With children having to take physical education courses in school, it combats obesity in a way that they may not get at home. “Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. One study showed that children who became obese as early as age 2 were more likely to be obese as adults” (Childhood Obesity Facts). Teaching children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle at a young age can help them be less at risk for diseases

Obesity in school-age children is a problem in North Carolina. North Carolina is the 23rd most obese state in the United States for children – 31.4% of youth in North Carolina are overweight or obese. (“Child Obesity Rate”) There is a mandated physical education requirement for school-age children attending public schools in North Carolina. The North Carolina State Board of Education Policy Manual states that every kindergarten through eighth student should be engaged in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily (“Recess and Physical Activity”). In spite of being clearly stated in policy and described in detail, the school-age children in North Carolina are still suffering from poor health. Based on the above information and recent research, the North Carolina State Board of Education needs to revise the policy on physical education. The new policy should state that school-age children in North Carolina should participate every day in 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity that is enjoyable and developmentally appropriate. By increasing school-age children’s activity to 60 minutes a day, the obesity rate of school-age children in North Carolina will reduce.

Childhood obesity is one of the most prevelant epidemics plagueing American youth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only 18 percent of all American youth were able to pass the 2008 national fitness standards (A Growing Problem, 2012). This means the vast majority of American youth are incapable of satisfactorally meeting fitness requirements such as completing pushups, running laps in a specific time, and stretching their muscles. According to the CDC, these goals are easily accomplished by any child who gets a total of 1 hour of aerobic exercise daily (A Growing Problem). In fact, that hour of exercise also ensures those same children have greater focus and mental stamina in school and increased immune systems to fight regular diseases.

Childhood obesity is one of the major health challenges of the 21st century. (World Health Organization, 2016). In the last 30 years, obesity has more than doubled in children. Overweight and obesity are the result of caloric imbalance and can cause physical and psychological problems in children. A global shift in dietary habits and lack of physical activity play a crucial role in childhood obesity. Healthy lifestyle habits, such as healthy eating and physical activity can reduce the risk of becoming obese. School plays an important role in establishing a safe and supportive environment with policies and practices that support healthy behaviors (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). The fifty state legislation on childhood obesity policy was enacted in 2013. Many states including, Texas has enacted some type of school nutrition legislation but not on physical education (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2013). Therefore, the author decided to contact a policymaker, a local school board member of Plano, Texas to implement the existing policies of school nutrition and physical activity.

Childhood overweight and obesity have health and economic impacts on individuals and the wider society. Children spend most of their time in schools. There are many school-based intervention strategies that focus on either nutrition-based. Physical-based or both aspects of weight-control independently. Children take at least one meal at schools that can encourage kids to make a healthy food choice like reducing the intake of carbonated drinks or sugary foods, encourage children to drink healthy fruit juices, water, vegetables, and fruits. Schools, which provide meals, can have healthy nutritious food items with emphasis on a balanced diet. Schools can involve children in physical activity by several strategies, i.e., by lengthening the time of physical activity and encouraging

There have been many different methods used to classify children’s weights, the most recent being from the CHMS 2009-2011 in children ages 3 and older. The CHMS uses standards created by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and World Health Organization (WHO). The standards are created with age- and sex- specific classification cut-offs. The IOTF standards are better used for populations, whereas the WHO standards are best for individuals (Roberts et al., 2012). In 2009-2011 using the WHO standards, 31.5% (about 1.6 million) Canadian children ages 5 to 17 were overweight or obese and among children ages 5 to 11, boys are three times more likely to be obese than girls their age (Roberts et al., 2012). A recent study of all Canadians showed that over time, an increase in waist circumference dominated an increase in overall BMI. There is evidence to support that a stable BMI with poor distribution of body fat may increase health risks (Roberts et al., 2012). These results reflect the importance of teaching and learning about nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle choices in schools. This comes with many challenges and barriers, as well as considerations of environmental and social factors that play a role in children 's health that are often beyond our vision. The following research and literature reviews contain some aspects surrounding these obstacles, considerations that must be made by

Childhood obesity is associated with a poor diet and lack of physical exercise. Determining the level of a healthy weight in children is calculated by using a growth chart, such as the standard growth chart developed by the Center for Disease Control. An accurate assessment is easily determined by measuring the weight and height of a child. Body Mass Index, or BMI, is also used to further determine a healthy weight for an individual. Once the determination is made by measurement, it is necessary to consider other factors such as the type of diet and exercise that is practiced. It is imperative that a diet be well rounded and not overloaded with starches, fats, and sugars and a minimum of 120 minutes of physical exercise take place on a daily basis. There are many health issues that are associated with overweight and obese children, but luckily there are methods to stop this problem. As Ezzeldin Aly states in “Childhood Obesity in the United States of America”, the solution to childhood obesity is the community and education. An overweight child’s “community” plays an important part in their general health. This community consists of: parents, family, doctors and teachers. It is in these relationships that diet education and physical activity are developed. Childhood obesity continues to grow at an alarming rate in the United States potentially causing long-term health issues but can be reversed by incorporating a healthy diet and physical

Children obesity levels have risen as kids continue to get low amounts of exercise, technology has made it so close to the point where humans don't have to move much all day with cars carrying us to school instead of the traditional walking, phones which we can have all the information we need just by clicking and movement of the hands (Mcmahon 1). The obesity levels have also went up as schools make budget cuts and continue to end programs that are essential (Driscoll 1). Obese children need physical education programs, so they can benefit from the exercise they participate in for the day (Driscoll 1). Kids should eliminate these actions by going outside and using their body to walk to school every other day or walk to a friends house, and it would help increase the exercise output from teens (Mcmahon 1). In the article Physical Education: An Overview, Maureen McMahon emphasizes the repercussions obesity causes:

Childhood obesity is a major health problem in the United States because the number of obese children has increased from adults in past few years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United Stated, 7 out of 100 children age 6-10 years in 1990 are obese, and it has increased to 18 out of 100 in 2012. For the same period, adult obesity has increased from 5 in 100 to 18 in 100. The definition of being overweight means gained too much weight from fat, muscles and water, but obesity is caused by imbalance between calorie intake and calorie use (“Children Obesity Facts”). The body mass index (BMI) is defined as the body weight divided by the square of the body height, and it is expressed in kg/m2. The BMI of a normal weight child will be between 18.5 and 25; however, an obese child’s BMI will be over 30 (“Body Mass Index”). The factors causes obesity in children is dietary habits, physical problems and psychological problems. Obesity can lead to children health problems in long term. Consequently, parents should find ways to prevent and decrease risk from child obesity.

The lack of physical activity contributes to this onset. One study that was conducted revealed that with an increase in physical activity in school, resulted in a decrease of obese and overweight children ranging from the ages of six to nine years of age. They tested this by having a control group that didn’t perform physical activity in the school setting and another group who were the intervention group that did exercise day-to-day according to, Sigmund, Ansaria, and Sigmondovia (2012). A different study that was conducted in Texas had a total of 23,190 participants ranging from the fourth grade through eleventh grade participate in physical activity including organized physical activity, education classes, and strength and conditioning classes. Out of all of these grades, the average percent of obesity in each grade that participated was around twenty percent. At the end of the investigated research, the results showed that students

Over the years as the generation has grown obesity in children has become a huge issue. Children are no longer getting the nutrient they need to stay fit. Children are no longer going outside to play but staying in to play video games and watch Television. Getting kids moving is a key factor in tackling obesity and health problems among the young. Like all types of physical activity, strength training and aerobic training use calories. Muscle tissue needs more calories to function than fat and as a result, kids with more muscle are more efficient at using calories. Like adults, overweight children and adolescents are at risk for a variety of health consequences, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and asthma. The ways of reducing obesity in children would be to keep them active, increase the prices of fast food places, and decrease the prices of organic and healthy foods.

an environment for a child to not end up being victim to that statistics. School is like a second home, to many students spending up to 8 hrs or more in a school building. They should have the opportunity to incorporate physical activity into their day. Already there large umbers of obese children in the nation. “Percent of adolescents age 12-19 years who are obese: 18%”(CDC). There is about double the amount of adult s that is obese to children. Yet with physical education, the number of adults in future statistics that are overweight could vastly increases. The future generations could learn to improve there eating habits which can not only improve their own bodies but the overall

More than 80 percent of adolescents do not get enough aerobic physical activity to meet the guidelines for youth (Physical Activity, 2014). When adolescents do not get the proper amount of physical activity needed to keep them healthy it puts them at risk for; a decrease in bone health, cardiorespiratory and muscle health, an increase in body fat, and possible depression. Obesity is a growing problem in America not only with adults but also with school aged children. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period (Childhood Obesity Facts, 2015). Being physically active can also help youth improve their concentration, memory and classroom behavior. Elementary school girls who participated in more physical education had better math and reading test scores than girls who had less time in physical education (Youth Physical Activity: The Role of Schools, 2016).