SCHOOL PROGRAMS HELP KIDS STAY FIT, HEALTHY

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SCHOOL PROGRAMS HELP KIDS STAY FIT, HEALTHY

• Retrieved from Medline Plus http//www.nlm.nih.gov
  /medlineplus/news/fullstory_23310.html
• Author Alison McCook
• Wednesday, March 2, 2005

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School Programs Help Kids Stay Fit, Healthy

• Schools with programs that encourage kids to eat
  well and exercise tend to have a much healthier
  and fitter student body
• Canadian research found that fifth-graders
  attending schools with these programs were less
  likely to be overweight or obese, ate healthier,
  and were more active than other fifth-graders.

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Childhood Obesity

• About 15.5 of adolescents (ages12-19) are
  obese.
• 15.3 of children (ages 6-11) are obese.
• The increase in obesity among American youth over
  the last 2 decades is dramatic.

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Childhood Obesity

• Causes
• Physical Activity - Lack of Physical Exercise.
• Sedintary Behavior TV watching, computer usage
  and similar behaviors that take up time that can
  be used for physical activity.
• Socioeconomic Status- Low family incomes and
  non-working parents.
• Eating Habits Over-consumption of high-calorie
  foods and Eating when not hungry.
• Environment Some factors of over-exposure to
  advertising of foods that promote high-calorie
  foods and lack of recreational facilities.
• Genetics Greater risk of obesity has been found
  in children of obese and overweigh parents.

• Prevention
• Teaching healthy behaviors at a young age is
  important since change becomes more difficult
  with age.
• Behaviors including physical activity and
  nutrition are cornerstones of preventing obesity
  in children and adolescents.
• Families and schools are the two most critical
  links in providing the foundation for those
  behaviors.

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Establish policies that promote
enjoyable, lifelong physical activity

• Schools should require daily physical activity
  and comprehensive health education (K-12).
• Provide physical and social environments that
  encourage and enable young people to engage in
  safe and enjoyable physical activities.
• Impliment sequential physical education
  curricula and instruction in grades K-12
• That emphasize activities such as walking and
  dancing.
• Help students develop the knowledge, attitudes
  and skills they need to adopt and maintain a
  physically active lifestyle.
• Keep students active for most of the class time.
• Extracurricular Activities that provide diverse,
  developmentally appropriate competitive and
  noncompetitive games
• Encourage parents and guardians to support their
  childrens participation
• Provide training to teachers, coaches,
  recreation and health care staff so they may
  promote enjoyable, lifelong physical activity
  among young people.
• Regulate evaluate physical activity
  instruction, programs and facility

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School Programs Help Kids Stay Fit, Healthy

• Although the programs cost extra money, its
  worth the investmentIf you grow healthy kids,
  theyll be healthy for life. (Dr. Paul J.
  Veugelers)
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  created guidelines for schools about how to keep
  their students healthy.
• They recommend at least 30 minutes of physical
  activity every day, cafeterias serve only
  healthy foods, and schools rid of their vending
  machines of candy, soda and other junk food.
• A study showed that of 5,200 fifth graders, their
  parents and the school principals in 282 public
  schools only 73 schools offered healthier school
  meals, while 7 schools incorporated all of the
  CDC recommendations.
• Those 7 schools showed lower rates of obesity and
  overweight students, they ate healthier, and
  were more physically active than the students at
  schools with no nutrition programs.
• Some people have raised concerns that including
  physical activity and nutrition education into
  school curriculum takes too much time away from
  other subjects such as history and math. However
  others argue that healthy kids learn better.
  Further studies are needed to resolve that
  matter. (Veugelers)