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As students across the nation either prepare to return to school or have already begun classes, it may come as a surprise to many parents that very few American children have daily physical education classes.

This lack of regular phys. ed. opportunities was documented in a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• The study found that only 4 percent of elementary schools, 8 percent of middle schools and 2 percent of high schools have daily physical education.
• Only two states, Illinois and Massachusetts, require such classes every day for kindergarteners through 12th graders.
• The study found that children in Illinois and Massachusetts the same rates of obesity and overweight as children everywhere else in the United States, even though they exercise daily.

"I'm all for holding schools to high standards with regard to academic outcomes," said Russell Pate, vice president of Health Studies at the University of South Carolina. "But we need to have balance, and we need all schools to be healthy places for children."

Labels: schools, physical_activity, physical_education

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For a group of middle school students in California, the days of sitting (or lying) in the grass during gym class, listening to a lecture about softball rules are over. At Antelope Crossing Middle School, physical education students don't have much time for lying around (unless, of course, they're on their backs doing so some ab crunches)

These days, you're more likely to find students checking the heart-rate monitors they've strapped on during jump rope to "stay in the zone," try for that aerobic threshold on the step trainer, and harden those abdominals and obliques with side planks. -- Source: Fort Meyers (Fla.) News-Press

In 2008, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education selected Antelope as one of the nation's four "star schools." Antelope's award-winning program is aimed at teaching students not only to engage in a lifetime of physical activity, but also to enjoy the experience.

Finding physical activities that a child enjoys is an important part of encouraging that child to get an adequate amount of exercise. Children who remain active -- and who follow a nutritious diet -- are less likely to experience the many health effects of childhood obesity.

Labels: middle school, exercise, physical_education

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A study by Dr. Maureen Dobbins of McMaster University in Canada found that physical education programs in schools can help combat obesity, but they aren't enough.

"Obesity among children aged 6 to 11 has more than doubled in 20 years, going from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2006, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The rate among adolescents aged 12 to 19 has more than tripled."

While Dr. Dobbins acknowledges that physical activity during the school day is important, she has also found that it doesn't compel kids to be more active outside of school. Parents need to step in, set an example of a healthy lifestyle, and encourage the same in their kids, she said. Source: Reuters

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Physical education classes in schools do not affect children's weights, but do they improve fitness, cholesterol levels, and lung capacity, according to a new study from Cochrane Research.

Scientists looked at data from physical activity programs in schools in the United States, Canada, Australia, and South America. Children involved in these programs did not lose weight, improve their blood pressure readings, or exercise more after school than non-participants. However, their fitness levels improved.

"Given that there are at least some beneficial effects, we would recommend that schools continue their health promotion programs," said the study's lead researcher, Maureen Dobbins of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

Labels: schools, weight_loss, physical_education

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A study by researchers in British Columbia, Canada, has found that increased physical education classes don't improve body mass index (BMI) for schoolchildren.

"[Dr. Kevin] Harris said researchers looked at 13 trials of six months to three years in which pre- and post-BMI measurements were taken. In studies involving nearly 10,000 children, primarily in elementary schools, none demonstrated a reduction in BMI with those who were assigned to the most phys-ed time, compared to those who didn't have as much."

The information, which was presented at the Canadian Pediatric Society conference in Victoria, is expected to diminish hopes that more school-based phys-ed classes would have been a cure-all for childhood obesity. While increased physical activity in school does have tremendous health benefits for children, it appears weight loss may not be one of them. Source: The Vancouver Sun

Labels: schools, physical_education, body_mass_index

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The No Child Left Behind Act currently speaks only to academic education, but some members of the House of Representatives would like to add physical education requirements to the Act's upcoming reauthorization. To that end, they have introduced the Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids (FIT Kids) Act, H.R. 3257.

"The bill would add physical education to the multiple measures for determining accountability under NCLB, offering schools another way to meet their adequate yearly progress while promoting physical activity and nutritional education for students. States would be measured on their progress toward meeting a national goal for required physical education recommended by the Centers for Disease Control of 150 minutes per week in elementary schools and 225 minutes per week for students in middle and high schools."

School districts and states would also be asked to report on students' physical activity and help promote healthy lifestyles. Studies have shown that the most physically active and healthy students often achieve the greatest academic success, which is what prompted the introduction of the FIT Kids Act.

Labels: legislation, schools, physical_education

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