Physical Activity And Classroom Behavior

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

Many children in America do not receive the needed amount of physical activity needed to maintain a healthy weight. Approximately17% of children are obese (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2016) and one in three children are overweight or obese (American Heart Association, 2016). This is a local and national emergency that needs to be addressed to keep children healthy, prevent morbidities, and control the costs that are associated with being overweight or obese. Pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension in children is at an all time high. However, research indicates that only 3.8 percent of American elementary schools provide daily physical education (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2007). This paper will discuss the importance of daily physical education in our schools.

As mentioned previously, exercise is seen as one of the cornerstones of a healthy life. A review of 86 scientific papers concerning exercise benefits in school age children, conducted by Janssen and Leblanc, found that children aged 15-17 “should accumulate an average of at least 60 minutes per day and up to several hours of at least moderate intensity physical activity”(Janssen and Leblanc, 1). In fact, even a more modest level of activity would be sufficient in battling health risks, such as

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) note that when children participate in the recommended level of physical activity of at least 60 minutes per day multiple health benefits ensue. Nevertheless, since the creation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) increasing focus has been dedicated to bridging the achievement gap among students and less emphasis has been placed on non-academic curriculum such as physical education. Research has shown that approximately 3.8% of elementary schools provide formal physical education with this percentage steadily declining as children continue onto middle and high school. This decrease in physical activity is in line with reports from the CDC which estimate that one third of children in the United States are overweight and, within those cases, the CDC has documented that children who are overweight have higher absentee rates, have poorer health and experience early signs of mental illness all of which have an impact on academic performance.

S. Surgeon General has declared childhood obesity to be an “epidemic” with significant adverse health consequences, including vascular disease and Type 2 diabetes that significantly raise health care costs for youth.” (The Impact of Physical Education 3) “The U.S. Surgeon General attributes the rise in childhood obesity, in part to, school cutbacks in Physical Education (PE), and urges all school systems to mandate daily PE that last at least one hundred and fifty minutes per week for elementary schoolchildren.” (The Impact of Physical Education 3) Research shows exercise aids children in maintaining a healthy body weight, strong and healthy muscles, strong bones and joints, improves sleep, school attendance is improved, self-esteem is better, and they are less likely to develop anxiety and depression. Those are just a few benefits of physical activity. Schools require subjects such as Math, Science, English, and Social Studies in order for children to graduate. Therefore, physical education should be a required course. Not only will adding physical education requirements help children physically but also, studies show that exercise helps with brain stimulation, which will help with test score and understanding in the classroom. Physical education will not only help with obesity but also improve some other problems schools deal with because of obese

America's children are not getting enough exercise, and the health risks due to obesity are becoming epidemic in nature. Even First Lady Michelle Obama is supporting an initiative to help children become more active and to provide for exercise (at least 30-60 minutes per day) in all schools. Even limited amounts of exercise can have great health benefits. When humans exercise, the brain produces chemicals that help enhance mood, limit cravings for sugars, and contribute to healthier joints, muscles, the heart, and kidneys. In turn, this translates into more productive work time, the ability to sleep better, increase memory, and reduce dependence on medications. Children are so vulnerable to this health risk that if it continues, over 60% of graduating seniors will be clinically obese. Written by a medical journalist, the book is designed for the lay reader but has a number of documented scholarly sources.

“Sibley et al. (2003) con- ducted a meta-analysis showing a positive correlation between physical activity and seven categories of cognitive performance (perceptual skills, intelligence quotient, achievement, verbal tests, mathematics tests, developmental level/ academic readiness, and other) among school-aged children” (Sattelmair & Ratley, 2009). This positive correlation provides much more evidence towards the benefits of physical activity and the classroom as it shows the exact levels of cognitive performance that are positively affected. In addition, a cross sectional study was completed showing the positive correlations of performance on physical fitness tests and exercise levels, involving eight thousand school-children. (Although this study and other studies discussed in this article show positive correlations, it is important to remember that correlation does not prove causation). This research also brings to mind the problem of obesity as well. Educating students on the importance of moving and physical activity can influence obesity as well. If students are more aware of the cognitive health benefits of physical activity, they will realize the reason obesity is a problem, much past the idea of physical looks. “Physical activity presents a physiological stress to the brain that, when balanced with recovery, promotes adaptation and growth,

It is clear that childhood obesity is a rising epidemic in the United States, and one without a cure. The focus on this topic needs to be shifted to preventative measures in order to halt the increasing numbers. There are significant health consequences that come along with being overweight or obese, most of which do not show up until later in life, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, sleep apnea, and type II diabetes. On top of the risk of health conditions, carrying excess weight has also been linked to negatively impacting a child’s life psychologically and socially (Cawley, 2013). An extensive number of children are not getting any physical activity outside of school, advocating that physical education programs in schools across the nation need to be implemented to get young children moving. In order to impact the increasing numbers of childhood obesity, physical education classes need to be structured so that moderate to vigorous physical activity is attained for the majority of the class and that children are compliant with the activities in physical education classes. However, a staggering amount of research proves that participation in physical education classes will contribute to lower levels of obesity in children- when conducted at the recommended dosage- by getting children active, by teaching children knowledge of necessary health

In chapter 16, Beyond Physical Education: School-Based Physical Activity Programming, Joe Barrett thoroughly elucidated the importance and declines in spontaneous and self directed child and youth physical activity. In today’s society, children and youth are living shorter lives than their parents due to the lack of physical activity. The observation of this matter triggered many organizations to produce physical activity guidelines for children. The CSEP and PHAC issued guidelines stating that children (5-11 years) and youth (12-17 years) regardless of their status should participate in as a minimum sixty minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. Additionally,

Aside from home, children spend majority of their time in their school setting. Therefore, schools have an advantage in instilling the need for physical activity in the daily lives of these children. According to Healthy People 2020 national objectives, schools have been targeted to increase the ratio of children who meet the physical activity engagement guidelines (AAHPERD). They have also been directed to increase the number of students that participate in daily physical education courses and make additional physical activity opportunities available. In addition, schools have been called on to implement strategies that allow children to access high quality activities that are available to them before, during, and after school. Examples for activities

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

Get at least 30 minutes of exercise in schools. These thirty minutes of exercise can