PE in our nations schools: Health community commentary

I ran across a nice piece entitled: PE in Our Nation’s Schools A case of "many children left behind" and a nice "FIT" for health care by Dr. Mike McGee on the Health Commentary website.

His position is that it is time to take on the issue of the lack of physical education in schools, which more and more advocates are characterizing as a public health issue. As more of a typical child's school day is given over to math or reading instruction, time for physical activity--recess or physical education -- has all but evaporated in many schools. A number of education and public health advocates are quite concerned about the public health implications of childhood obesity coupled with the erosion of physical/health education."

The article addresses the childhood obesity crisis, and cites data from the CDC and public policy reports on the issue. In conclusion the article looks at " The Fit Kids Act" legislation now before congress and concludes, "The Fit Kids Act sounds like a great "fit" for advancing this nation's preventive health.

Related Research Citations:
Learning First Alliance: Strengthening Public Schools for Every Child
Status of Overweight Kids in America.
Exercise and Childhood Obesity
2006 Shape of the nation report: Status of physical education in the USA
S.2173, The FIT Kids Act.

The Real Story Behind Obesity.

Obesity trend slowing??

A recent report is suggesting that after a 20 year growth in obesity statistics it is finally leveling off. The proportion of US children and adolescents who were unusually heavy for their height rose by about 20 per cent from 1999 to 2004, but didn't change between 2003 and 2006.
The most recent statistic is that 32% are overweight obese, compared to 29% in 1999.

Let's keep this trend at a halt by keeping kids active this summer!

Suggested activities are:

1) Riding bikes
2) Swimming
3) A youth league such as baseball, basketball, dance or gymnastics

* and make sure the kids stay hydrated!



These latest figures are from Cynthia Ogden and colleagues at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Hyattsville, Maryland, who surveyed 8000 young people (Journal of the American Medical Association, vol 299, p 2401)

Foods that boost brain power

Recent studies indicate that what you eat effects how you do in school. A recently released study shows that homegrown foods have a positive impact on everything from test scores to attendance. Most recently, the “Children’s Lifestyle and School-Performance Study,” which appeared in the April issue of the Journal of School Health, found that children—regardless of their socioeconomic status—performed better in school if they increased their fruit and vegetable intake and decreased their caloric intake from fat.

Many schools are implementing on-site gardens, so children can learn about where food comes from and have a direct experience of connection to their health.

One of the smartest responses I've read in regards to the rising costs of integrating organic foods into the cafeterias and school sites is from Vanessa Ruddy a parent of a 14 year old and a 2nd grader. “Compromising with food is compromising on children’s health.” Vanessa helped integrate an organic school lunch program at Lincoln Elementary in Washington.

There is an excellent lengthy article on all the efforts being made by many schools across the country. Feel free to read it here.

Physical Education for the Body and Brain

The Ventura County Star ran a series of articles on physical education, physical activity and childhood obesity. See links below.........

Body-Brain Connection
According to Dr. Levin, medical director for the Ventura County Public Health Department, kids who play hard every day may be making their brains, as well as their bodies, stronger. Researchers have found that children who exercise on a regular basis have more neural activity in the frontal areas of their brains. This serves as evidence that children who are physically active may be better able to organize schoolwork, do class projects and learn mathematics.

Quality PE Matters
Parents are encouraged to provide daily opportunity for physical fitness in the home routine, but school may be the only place that a child consistently engages in regular physical activity. This daily physical activity is critical for a child's physical, mental and emotional success. Studies have shown the importance of physical fitness in educating both mind and body. When children learn the value of leading an active lifestyle, this will have a positive impact on both academic success and the physical and emotional wellness. For many children, this opportunity is the physical education program provided at school.

Healthy Choices Explored
Most of us as parents focus on how well our child does in their math, English and science classes. We check their scores, compare it to the norms and then take action if necessary. We visit with the teacher to see what help is needed and provide extra work if required. Yet, as the Greeks recognized long ago, physical activity goes hand in hand with learning. Without physical activity, the learning process is impaired. Do we as parents take physical activity as seriously as we should?

Washington Post Series on Solutions to Childhood Obesity

The Washington Post series on the Childhood Obesity Epidemic began on Sunday, May 18 and continues through May 22. It is the position of the Washington Post that "we are all responsible for the childhood obesity epidemic: parents, government, schools, communities, companies, the health system. This five-day series searches for solutions."

Topics for the 5 day series on Childhood Obesity are listed below and can be reached at the following link.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/childhoodobesity/index.html?hpid=topnews

PART 1: Sunday
* » Obesity Threatens a Generation
* » How to Choose Healthy and Keep Your Taste Buds Happy
* » Overview of Childhood Obesity
* » Facts You Should Know

PART 2: Monday
* » Inertia at The Top
* » Making Headway or Headed Nowhere?
* » High Profile Campaign Becomes Past Tense
* » What the Candidates Say
* » 21,000 Calories in Two Hours at High School
* » A Smart Snack Machine

PART 3: Tuesday
* » The District | Produce-deprived, over half the kids in some wards are heavy.
* » The Suburbs | They seem to have it all and are still overweight. Why?
* » Controversial "fat school."

PART 4: Wednesday
* » One big barrier to healthy lunches: parents.
* »The new PE: If schools can't offer more, they'll try for better.
* » Nutritionist heeds the taste buds of students.
* » School lunch makeovers

PART 5: Thursday
* » Doctors, researchers are perplexed.
* » Maneuvering restaurant food.
* » A longtime culprit makes an "epochal" shift.

Produce for kids.org

Go Visit Produce for Kids to get:

For Kids

• healthy recipe ideas for kids'
• tips for kids IE: Why fruits & veggies are good for you, brain food for all that you do & a food guide pyramid for kids
  
• as well as fun games for kids with Curious George, the cookie monster and many more colorful friends.
  

For Adults

• Register to win a family vacation
• Recipes for the whole family
• Resources for topics like obesity, FAQs on childhood, and the PFK advisory board

Another great resource to keep your kids healthy and fit!

Previous posts on nutrition:

Got Milk? Rewards Moms...

New Study: Cutting Fat & Sugar in Schools

Free Nutrition and Physical Activity Materials

Recess Before Lunch: Breaking with Tradition

Got Milk? Rewards Moms...

The got milk campaign is taking time to reward Mom's for being the nutritional gatekeepers in their homes and for keeping kids healthy! Mom's are being dubbed the 72% solution, because it has been discovered that moms influence 72% of what kids eat and drink.

This campaign is being called Project Mom. Moms can be rewarded with a $100,000 paycheck, for keeping their kids healthy. The campaign notes, one small change like serving lowfat or fat free milk instead of sugary soft drinks and fruit drinks can make a big difference in the health and weight of children and teens. Studies show that children who drink milk instead of sugar-sweetened drinks tend to be leaner and have better quality diets that are richer in essential nutrients -- particularly calcium, which is so vital for growing children.

There are a ton of resources on their website for moms. Go check it out!

Similar Posts: New Study Cutting Sugar and Fat in Schools
Recess Before Lunch: Breaking with Tradition
Free Nutrition and Physical Activity Materials
From Farm to School Lunchroom

Barriers to Physical Activity in Child Care Centers Identified

A new study on outdoor physical activity in preschool children identified some unexpected barriers. “It’s things we never expected, from flip flops, mulch near the playground, children who come to child care without a coat on chilly days, to teachers talking or texting on cell phones while they were supposed to be supervising the children,” according to Kristen Copeland, M.D., lead author of the study which was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. She noted that because there are so many benefits of physical activity for children – from prevention of obesity, to better concentration and development of gross motor skills – it’s important to know what barriers to physical activity may exist at child-care centers. Approximately 56% of 3-6 year olds spend time in preschools and child care centers.

“We found several previously unreported barriers that meant kids had to stay inside, including inappropriate footwear such as flip flops and inappropriate clothing for the weather,” said Dr. Copeland. In some child care centers, if one child in the group shows up without a coat on a chilly day, she noted, that means the whole group has to stay inside. Even more surprising to the researchers was the fact that the child-care staff members said some parents appear to intentionally keep their children’s coats (or send children without coats) so they’d have to stay inside, which staff attributed to parents’ concerns about the child getting injured or dirty, or a having a cold that may be exacerbated by cold weather. Just as in the case of barrier to physical activity in school age children, preschool teachers also reported pressure to teach students "academics" was interfering as well.

"Playground surfacing or 'mulch' was also a concern of day care staff” said Dr. Copeland. “Many said that the kids eat the mulch, or use it as weapons, or it gets caught in their shoes. It also requires constant upkeep. It’s certainly not something that we had anticipated as an issue, but judging by the amount of and intensity of the discussions among child care teachers, it really is.”

The study presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Honolulu, Hawaii on May 5, was conducted at 34 child care centers in Cincinnati.

Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/cchm-ffm050108.php

Oklahoma moves to increase physical activity in schools

New legislation in Oklahoma has passed doubling the amount of class time devoted to physical activity includeing: physical education, exercise programs, fitness breaks, wellness and nutrition education for the state's youngest students. The bill calls for an increase from 60 minutes a week to 120 minutes a week. The requirement will apply to students in kindergarten through the fifth grade.

The measure was approved by the Senate on Tuesday and now goes to Gov. Brad Henry.

Policy makers acknowledged an obligation to do all they can to reverse a growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

TV Turnoff week April 21st-27th

"TV Turnoff week promotes the idea that limiting screen time and boosting physical activity can lead to healthier living, sponsored in part by the Center for Screen Time Awareness (CSTA) and We Can!, a science-based national education program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) makes the following recommendations for physical activity and tv watching time:

• Limit TV viewing and video game playing to two hours a day
• Boys should take a least 11,000 steps daily
• Girls should take at least 13,000 steps a day

"Children not meeting the physical activity or exceeding the screen time recommendations were 3-4 times more likely to be overweight than those complying with both recommendations," Laurson says in a news release. Laurson is from an Iowa State Research Study.

There is continuous researching documenting links between the more screen time a child has, the more likely they are to be obese and not reaching daily exercise recommendations. Childhood obesity is linked to type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and asthma. All serious threats to a child's quality of life & lifespan.

To read more about turn off tv week
or incentives...

Have a ball! Children promoting physical activity

Wilson & Hartwell, ages 7 & 9, are taking action in trying to reduce childhood obesity in their state. Mississippi is known for having some of the worst childhood obesity statistics in the country.

Their idea is simple. Give every elementary age child in the state a ball.

Research has shown that giving children consumable equipment will endorse moment and physical activity.

They started their mission in January and have already donated over 3500 balls!

Peaceful Playgrounds supports physical activity and has equipment packages that you can purchase for school recess or physical education class. Now let's all get moving!!

Free Nutrition and Physical Activity Materials

Eat Smart. Play Hard materials are a great free resource from the USDA.

Eat Smart. Play Hard.TM provides practical tools to help you motivate children and their caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active. Messages and materials are fun and based on MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

What should kids and parents eat and do for good health? The answer is just a “click” away at USDA’s new Eat Smart. Play Hard.™ web pages for kids and parents. The kids’ web page provides interactive learning and skill-building experiences in a virtual community setting. The web page encourages and motivates kids to make better lifestyle choices using kid-friendly entertaining techniques. In others words, the web page is fun!

Related posts:
Making Food Fun and Mighty Moves

Pedometers spur physical activity

Obesity the new "normal"

This article was copied in its entirety because it gives such a great perspective...
post submitted by Andrea Bossenmeyer

Of all the challenges to reversing our national obesity epidemic, the one that concerns me most is what I call the "distortion of normality." While constants in science (physical values or principles) are well known and don't change, life has far fewer "constants."

The constants we tend to adhere to most often are defined by our culture. Case in point: our relationships with food.

What we like to consider normal food intake and portions are far from constant. Aside from the differences between mainstream America and other countries, many of our internal definitions of "normal" change from generation to generation.

Take for example dress sizes. In 1933, the hip measurement for a size 8 dress was 33 1/2 inches. Today, a size 8 hip measurement is 38 inches. The average American today weighs 24 pounds more than in 1960.

But consider food and drink portions. A serving size of soda in 1956 was 8 ounces. Today, the standard size is 20 ounces. The standard adult meal serving at McDonald's in 1971, which consisted of a hamburger, bag of french fries and an 8-ounce drink, is what we now call a child's meal. Read the labels; many children's fast food meals are really adult portions.

Besides humongous soft-drink cup sizes, what about those bagels or doughnuts the size of spares tires on a Volkswagen? Or muffins the size of a grapefruit? Bags of chips are larger than ever, cookies seem as big as Frisbees; burgers have two, sometimes three patties stacked on the bun.

Now consider this: To your child, these portions are the definition of "normal" they will grow up with and pass on to their children.

Anyone with this sense of history should not be surprised that we're all getting larger. By the end of the first year of life, the typical American baby is overfed by 250 calories a day.

According to a recent study, factors known to have the greatest effect on encouraging childhood obesity include 1) being Hispanic, 2) having an overweight mother, 3) taking a baby bottle to bed, and 4) having a low or high (more than 9 pounds) birth weight. While three of these can't be changed, one can. Breast feeding reduces the risk of child obesity by 4 percent for every month the infant is nursed. It also helps mom lose weight gained during the pregnancy.

While "normal" is defined by the times and our culture, we can't escape one universal constant: Newton's first law of thermodynamics.

Simply stated, energy cannot be created or destroyed, it only changes form. Energy, in the form of excess calories, is either burned up (typically by exercise) or is turned into body tissue with all the extra calories becoming fat.

We live in a fast food and processed food subculture, driven by speed, cost and convenience. In this kind of culture, obesity, or at least a greater acceptance of it, has become the new normal.

In 1986, 55 percent of Americans considered overweight people less attractive. Today, only 24 percent of Americans carry the same beliefs. Attitudes are changing and we've become much more accepting of obesity. Is that how overweight and obesity will become the "new normal" of the 21st century?

I've had kids brought into my clinic because the parents are concerned that their child was "too small" when in reality their son or daughter was normal for height and weight, but smaller than their siblings, cousins or friends. Because so many of the family members are oversized or obese, any members who are normal by standard growth charts are looked upon as underweight or too small.

Every few decades, new charts for defining normal growth and development are created. When the next charts are issued, childhood overweight and obesity will then truly become part of the medical establishment's definition of normality.

The explosion of food portion sizes and the calories that accompany it create an imbalance in our kids' perception of what is appropriate versus what is normal. Is it "normal" for your child to consume a single bag of microwave popcorn while drinking a 20-ounce soda? Read the nutrition facts label on each product and you'll see that those two items have enough calories for almost three adults.

The standard candy bars are 100 percent larger than just a few years ago; and with 100 percent more calories, too. Again, remember that these food experiences will define and shape your child's perception of what is normal.

Child obesity is the new "normal" of the 21st century. It will remain that way if portion sizes are uncontrolled or are not checked by parents and in home attitudes about proper eating. Many experts say that we live in a toxic food environment.

Make the home an oasis from the problem, not its focal point. Failure to do so will continue to drive higher rates of early childhood obesity, Type 2 diabetes, early heart disease and a shortened life expectancy.

Dr. Stephen Ponder, who has Type 1 diabetes, has been a pediatric endocrinologist for 20 years. He is director of the Children's Diabetes and Endocrine Center of South Texas at Driscoll Children's Hospital. Contact him at 694-4864 or stephen.ponder@dchstx.org

Physical Education and Physical Activity: Food for Thought

Lawmakers Want Kids In P.E. Class Despite Cash Problems
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Published: April 6, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Florida lawmakers thought reintroducing physical education to the state's public schools was going to be no sweat. Turns out, it's an ongoing workout.


Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for Physical Education
for Physical Education and are designed to describe what students should know and ... preservice preparation and continuing education of physical education ...

15 Ways to Combat Childhood Obesity by Making Fitness a Family ...
But with America’s childhood obesity epidemic growing worse every year—and with fast food meals and sedentary TV-and-computer pastimes the societal norm—you worry about their future. In a world set up to make kids fat, how can you make ...

Physical activity improves academic performance
Business Gazette - Gaithersburg,MD,USA
It’s true that the primary responsibility of schools is to educate students, and physical education is a key part of learning (‘‘Students need more gym time ...

SOPLAY instrument for Observing Kids At Play

At Peaceful Playgrounds we often receive phone calls asking for an instrument that schools and/or researchers can use to assess physical activity. We most often refer these folks to Thom McKenzie Ph.D. at San Diego State University (CA) and his SOPLAY Instrument which is a system for observing play and leisure activity in youth.

SOPLAY is a validated direct observation tool for assessing physical activity and associated environmental characteristics in free play settings (e.g., recess and lunch at school).

SOPLAY provides objective data on the number of participants and their physical activity levels during play and leisure opportunities in targeted areas. Separate scans are made for males and females, and simultaneous entries for contextual characteristics of areas including their accessibility, usability, and whether or not supervision, organized activities, and equipment are provided. The predominant type of activity engaged in by area users is also recorded (e.g., basketball, dance).

The Go Healthy Challenge

Nickelodeon, Alliance for a Healthier Generation and American Heart Association have teamed together to create the Go Healthy Challenge.

You can learn about healthy snacks and pledge your reason for taking the challenge.

There are videos, nutrition information, and much more...All designed with kids in mind! Spread the word about this fun kids site.

Gyms sign new members-KIDS!

According to 9 year old Sydnie the gym situation is working out just fine because: "the adults don't really bother us because we're doing our own thing and they're doing theirs."

Sydnie's mom has a different perspective: " bringing the kids to the gym with me is a way for me to show, not 'tell' them that I work out, too, to be healthy." She adds that "it's a nice combination for a busy parent to have that option of working out at the same time."

Parents are increasingly looking for ways to keep kids active as childhood obesity, and the health complications that stem from it, have become a growing problem in the U.S. So, seeing an opportunity to expand their market, these establishments are stepping in and offering specific classes for children of various ages, including gymnastics, martial arts and swimming. They also are carving out times to allow kids to use gym equipment and even work out with a personal trainer. And parents get the added benefit of being able to work out at the same time.

More on Gyms sign kids.......

Healthier Food Choices Can Be Taught

Results of a new study to be released today in the April issue of Pediatrics will show that healthier food choices and removal of high calorie foods in school vending machines makes a difference. Additionally snacks were scaled back and they banished candy. researchers handed out raffle tickets for wise food choices and spent hours teaching kids, their parents and teachers about good nutrition.

It paid off. The number of kids of obese children during the two-year experiment was half the number of kids who got fat in schools that didn't make those efforts. It's a really dramatic effect from a public health point of view.

Public health officials have long maintained that schools are ideal settings for programs that target childhood obesity. Children spend long hours each day at schools and eat lunch and often breakfast at school. But previous school-based programs have had mixed results. The Philadelphia study put to the test a program developed by the Food Trust, a local nonprofit which works to improve access to affordable, healthy food.

Saucony Run For Good Grant

Saucony has been keeping up on the research that notes that 4 out of 5 children will carry the weight from adolescence to adulthood, which results in health problems.

The Saucony Run For Good Grant is open to communities and non-profits that initiate and support running and fitness programs for kids.

A child's view of "healthy diet"

By Andrea Bossenmeyer

A new report asked children what a healthy diet is, and they responded "One in which you do not gain weight." Rather than a diet that gives you all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals you need to grow and develop.

They also interviewed children as young as four. The research indicates that children can be strongly prejudiced against overweight people. Children had little sympathy for people who are overweight. Their perception was that these people are lazy and responsible for their condition.

The kids said that weight and size was how they determined a healthy person. They determined that the unhealthy effects of eating bad shows only externally (fat, skin issues, bad teeth), the children didn't consider internal consequences.

The report also found that while children were well able to recognize healthy foods from unhealthy foods, when they were given the option of a nutritious lunch or a meal with a high sugar content, they tended to opt for the unhealthier option.

To read more about the The Voice of Young People Report

Related Blogs on nutrition and Overweight
What consists of an appropriate snack?
Nutrition training changes eating habits of preschoolers.