Posted on 09/07/2004 6:42:04 AM PDT by truthandlife
Just an extra hour of exercise a week could significantly cut obesity among young overweight girls, according to a study that researchers say could lead to major changes in the way schools fight obesity. ADVERTISEMENT
The study -- the largest look yet at obesity among young children -- did not show the same results for boys, possibly because they generally get more exercise than girls.
Still, Dr. Rebecca Unger, a pediatrician at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said the findings show the important role schools can play to prevent obesity and its health ramifications.
She said the study highlights the importance of funding daily physical education in the nation's schools, where about 15 percent of children and adolescents are overweight, according to government figures.
"This is incredibly serious if you consider the medical and emotional consequences of obesity. The further along these problems progress the more at risk these children are," said Unger, who was not involved in the research.
In the study of 11,000 children, researchers compared changes in the body-mass index -- a measure of weight relative to height -- of obese and overweight girls in kindergarten and first grade.
They found that the prevalence of obesity and being overweight among the girls fell 10 percent in schools that gave first-graders one hour more of exercise time per week than their kindergartners.
Based on that, the researchers believe that giving kindergartners at least five hours of physical education time per week -- the amount recommended by the federal government -- could potentially reduce the prevalence of obesity and overweight among girls by 43 percent.
"This has the ability to affect tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of children. The implications are so big because this is something we can do as a society," said Nancy Chockley, president of the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation.
The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group recently released a research brief on the study, and two other studies of childhood obesity.
The analyses were done by the Rand Corp., a think tank that used data collected by the U.S. Department of Education as part of a long-term study of 11,192 children from about 1,000 schools who entered kindergarten in 1998.
The results released so far are only for those youngsters' kindergarten and first-grade years. Data on their third-grade and fifth-grade years will be released later.
Yale University obesity researcher Kelly Brownell said the findings are significant because they demonstrate the importance of making sure children get adequate physical activity -- in or out of school.
But he said exercise must be tied with better eating habits -- including rethinking school lunch programs and the presence of school vending machines laden with high-calorie snacks -- to fully address the nation's growing epidemic of childhood obesity.
"This is probably the strongest statement yet that physical activity may help prevent obesity. But we have to remember that it's not going to compensate for the unhealthy diets kids are eating," said Brownell.
In the past decade, many schools have scaled back recess time or physical education classes to provide more time to prepare students for testing programs that are a key part of school-funding formulas, said Dr. Vincent Ferrandino, executive director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
"Many of those schools that made those choices to cut back on PE classes now realize that was not a good decision in regards to their students' health," said Ferrandino.
Well, DUH. Why would anyone need to conduct a "study" to figure that out?
I've got a better idea- instead of even more mandates in schools and overprogramming of children, STOP DRIVING THE KIDS TO SCHOOL and let them walk!
These are probably the same people who needed a study to figure out that Florida (you know, the place with all the trees, swamps and hurricanes) has fewer days of sunshine than the desert southwest.
4 hours of history, science, math, and writing/reading and 2 or 3 hours of recess/PE sounds about right to me. Just cut out art/dance, foreign language, drama, elective classes. If the students are really motivated to learn how to act they can do it on their own time...
My HS Freshman daughter last year had PE in the first period. I am sure all these young woman wanted to work up a sweat in the first hour of the day and smell the rest of the day. They were not given time to shower.
I sometimes can't figure out what the administrators are thinking.
What would help even more is for parents to live up to their responsibilities of ensuring the overall welfare of their children by making them get off their fat, lazy asses and out from in front of the TV and computer/video game...and get outside and play!!!
Oh, and the parents, who are also fat and lazy should go along with their kids to supervise instead of plopping THEIR fat asses on the couch as well.
OK, they work long hours....likely more than one job. Well, guess what - if they exercised some pragmatism and lived within their means they wouldn't have to work so much.
What is gained when mom works a part-time job that nets the family $1500 a month, but day care costs $1200 a month? The obvious answer is $300, but factor in gas/commuting costs, money spent on lunch, etc. You quickly run up yet another deficit.
THINK, PEOPLE!!!!
They don't think, I say eliminate PE and allow parents to turn the TV/Computer off. Whatever happened to playing outside?
Call me goofy, but I thought that the purpose of the schools was to educate, not worry about obesity. That's the parents job. Sure, let's take another hour out of the classroom and run them around for a while. Then they'll be a little more fit, and a little more ignorant.
This same daughter that had PE in the first period and was still carrying her post puberty weight joined the Golf Team. She walks 9 if not 18 holes everyday after school and has lost her weight. It's pretty simple in the end..
Yes, she can beat me like a drum on the course. :)
I hated PE in school. Exercise and physical fitness is the responsibility of the parent not the school.
When I was a teacher, PE was a security problem. The locker room, generally unsupervised by the teachers (who'd rather be coaching) was an opportunity for bullies and predators.
If you want kids to exercise through required PE classes, it has to be managed better. Otherwise, forget the whole thing
Yeah, make the kids spend another hour a day in the gym. That will help. NOT.
As ususal another idiot media article, with absolutely no research.
What GOES around, COMES around.....sheesh.....anyone here old enough to remember President Kennedy's Physical Fitness Challenge?????
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At the rate kids disappear off our streets (anywhere in America)?
PE class ... every day with Dodgeball ...
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Disagree, schools should try to create the Aritotlean ideal of a sound mind in a sound body.
I could not disagree more. Unless school's stop the tortuous bullying that always happens in PE, get rid of it. It's a useless appendage of the education system.
Because the left can figure anything out without a study...
My little one is in 1st grade and they have PE.. we didn't have it until 6th grade because we got our exercise from recess and playing after school and on weekends... My little one doesn't need extra exercise at school.. she's stick thin as it is because she moves constantly.. I was a stick at her age too for the same reason. I don't think you can blame TV or vid games.. we have em at home and my girl gets out and plays on her own.
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