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The Significance Of Physical Education Essay

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The Significance of Physical Education in American Schools
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Hommes, Tiffany J., Bemidji State University, USA

Background 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. There is an abundance of support to provide daily physical education in our schools. First Lady Michelle Obama is leading a national initiative called “Let’s Move” to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic. One of the initiatives in “Let’s Move” is to increase physical activity (Let’s Move!) In fact, Healthy People 2020 has objectives to increase the portion of the America’s private and public schools that require daily physical education (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2011). There is also a national initiative, the FIT Kids Act of

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