Lack Of Physical Education In The United States

I. We all value our health over many other things because that is what keep us alive, but with

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

First of all, students do not have much knowledge about the different fitness components; they do not understand the relation between the fitness components and health. If students acquire the background knowledge about fitness, it could improve the class engagement and motivation, and increase the independent drive to exercise. Second barrier to students’ achievement is the lack of motivation to be active, and even more difficult, to specific fitness activities, such as sit-ups and push-ups. In today’s society, students spend more time sitting in front a screen and less time moving. Parent and school today have more responsibility making sure the children get enough physical activity. According to the New York Times (2016), “early school physical education (PE) programs can make a significant difference, and the earlier these routines are learned the more likely they will be carried forth into a healthy adulthood”. Another barrier that prevents students’ success is the loss of instructional time due to discipline problems. The classes are too big, with many diverse students with individual problems, which are difficult to address when these issues are from very different backgrounds. Finally, there is not enough support from home affecting not only physical education, but

In Alaska, there are villages that do not have gyms that are in good condition and sometimes, it is hard to access. According to Alaska Department of Health & Social Services, 20.9% for all Alaska adolescents and 21.1% for Alaska Native adolescents were engaging in sixty minutes of physical activity every day of the week. The state target is 23.0% and the male adolescents have already exceeded that goal, but beginning in 2011 where the percentage was 28.0%, there seems to be a downward trend because in 2015, there were only 24.7%. In the plan from Healthy Alaskans 2020, speaking with schools will assist students in getting more physical activity time, for example, longer

Finding a way to get students more active is a major concern for the American population. Elementary children in the United States are becoming less and less active each year. Since 1980, the childhood obesity rates, ranging from the ages of pre-k to pre-teenage have tripled in number— Six to eleven-year-old obese rates have more than doubled, going from an acute seven percent to outstanding seventeen percent. The rates

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.

Over the last 30-40 years, the amount and intensity of exercise has gradually declined. Few children in the United States have actually met the recommended “sixty minutes of vigorous exercise” per day (Institute of Medicine, 2013). Although most states and districts have policies pertaining to physical education, these programs lack reinforcement and are often considered weak. Physical education has slowly declined throughout the years, and the the purpose of encouraging students to make physical activity part of their daily lifestyle has been lost. Recent research from Cornell University has found that the average high school gym class consists of students being active for an average of only sixteen minutes! This is nowhere near the recommended sixty minutes of physical exercise. Physical education has been pushed to the side while academics have been prioritised. P.E. classes have become overlooked by society as a whole. Students simply see it as a courses used only for socializing, or to avoid academic courses such as Algebra, Biology, and History. While teachers no longer encourage students to be active, this should not be the path in which we take physical education. The importance of exercise and physical activity goes beyond the classroom with is proven benefits in memory, cognition and attention which are skills that can be used for daily life activities. In recent times, many programs are popping up across the country to emphasize the importance of being active!

With education and health care reform both at the forefront of politics in America, wouldn't it be nice to see a piece of legislation brought forth that could potentially have bipartisan support while tackling both of these issues? The first area of concern is childhood obesity, which has continuously become a major issue over the past quarter of a century (CDC); unhealthy children require more medical treatment throughout their life and which eventually generates large costs for the federal government. Secondly, studies have proven that healthy kids perform better in school and that physical activity not only improves memory and attention, but also decreases behavioral issues in the classroom. America is seeing a rise in the amount of children who suffer from obesity, and yet physical education is becoming a less important aspect in public schools (CDC Association -

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the number of obese children ages 6-19 have tripled to 16% over the last twelve years. That is an alarming figure. One of the main causes is lack of physical activity. This may seem like an obvious cause, but it seems to be the one our youth have the most problems with. Physical education is being

(3) Each district school board should provide 150 minutes of physical education each week to incorporate one hour of physical activity for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and for students who are enrolled in a school that contains one or more elementary grades so that on any day during which physical education instruction is conducted there are at least 30 consecutive minutes per day. Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, the equivalent of one class period per day of physical education for one semester of each year is required for students enrolled in prekindergarten to grade 12.. Students enrolled

On the same note, all schools throughout the state occupy the option for a student to be withheld in a fitness course, no matter the age. Matter-of-fact, it is already a perquisite for children to have an activity period each year up until high school, where they only are required one year. A school, according to the dictionary and to all individuals, is "an institution for educating children" and it is imperative for it to remain that way. Regardless of an individuals size, they still have a say in their future and it is absolutely certain that an hour of exercise is not equivalent to an hour in an AP credit course.

“Physical education hopes to accomplish, to engage all students, not just the athlete elite, in fun activities that will instill a lifelong commitment to fitness.” (Johnson, 264). Physical education in the classroom can be a vital steeping stone to the way that teenagers think about fitness. Lifelong fitness is something that everyone should be guaranteed, it mainly depends on the experience that a teenager has. Like many other subjects in school, the

Most states do not even meet the minimum recommendations for physical activity of 50 to 200 minutes a week, according to a 1997 National Association for Sport and Physical Education survey. Even if the kids have a regular physical education class they may not be getting any real exercise. One study in California found that during the course of one week, "school kids were getting

There is nothing more important than health, especially in this day and age. It’s concerning that only 29 percent of high school students surveyed by the CDC (2011) had participated in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on all seven days before the survey. The CDC also noted that only 31 percent of these high school students attended physical education class daily. Only 8 percent of elementary schools, 6.4 percent of middle schools, and 5.8 percent of high schools provide daily physical education to all of its students (SHPPS, 2000). The government is missing the fact that physical education can actually improve test scores, not the opposite.

In the modern schools, too many elementary schools are so centered academics and don’t focus on the well-being of the students. The school systems also don’t realize that physical activity can help students perform better in the classrooms. In the recent years, there has been a worldwide tendency to reduce school-based physical education in favor of academic subjects. Given the beneficial effects of exercise and the disadvantages of a sedentary lifestyle, cutbacks in physical education lessons are not near as productive as people think. Systematic reviews provide clear