Graham: Rescuing our waistlines will be expensive, too

By Zachary Graham

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I have distinct memories of high school P.E.: my P.E. teacher rolling out basketballs so he could flirt with the music teacher, playing table tennis and good ol’ fashioned square dancing. But it was mostly a lot of standing around.

But new data has been released that should make teachers and administrators think about the curriculum. Almost 20 percent of 2 to 19 year olds are considered overweight, which can be a precursor to diabetes, a recent study by the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey reported.

In 2007, diabetes cost Americans $174 billion, up $42 billion since 2002, according to the American Diabetes Organization. How can we combat this?

We have to be personally responsible. Exercise is a cheap and easy way to fight diabetes.

Another way to decrease the financial burden of diabetes rests on school boards and state and federal education departments.

We should increase the amount of time kids spend in P.E. and shift the overall focus from team games to physical activity. We need to move away from teaching square dancing and table tennis to a curriculum that mandates physical activity. With the increase in childhood obesity, we need to make kids have P.E. all year, every year.

Don’t drop exercise classes in favor of math and reading. Because schools need to meet certain requirements for these subjects, resources are freed by eliminating exercise. Children should be active instead of taking standardized tests. The only physical activity some students get may be in a P.E. class.

But don’t feel so safe, college kids. A recent study reports that only 8 percent of us meet the American College of Sport Medicine’s recommendations for physical activity, meaning 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week.

Getting that much exercise is not hard. All it requires is being proactive and not lazy.

The only way to stop this trend is to form exercise habits at the earliest age possible, or our Wall Street Rescue package is going to look like chump change compared to our national health bills.

— — Graham is a Columbus, Ohio, graduate student in exercise physiology.

Comments

connerm (anonymous) says...

"We have to be personally responsible."

"We need to make kids have PE all year, every year."

November 19, 2008 at 9 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

empirelucas (anonymous) says...

Having come from a state which mandates year round PE all the way through high school I can safely say you have no idea what you are talking about. It didn't make me any healthier (sports did that) and just served as a vehicle to humiliate those who were obese (even after year round PE for their entire school lives).

Also, depending on which building I have to walk to I get 30 minutes of moderate activity walking to class five times a week (uphill).

November 19, 2008 at 6:32 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Abita (anonymous) says...

I agree with these posts to some degree that people should take more personal responsibility for their health. But, I think you are right Mr. Graham. Schools can do a better job of promoting exercise and requiring physical fitness. A study just came out that said we need 90 min of exercise a week. If a kid goes to a 45 min P.E. class three times a week, that more than covers it.

By the way, no matter what position someone holds on this issue, they have to give you credit for presenting statistics and facts and then arguing a point. This is a good piece.

November 20, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

connerm (anonymous) says...

I was joking a bit in my comment.

I agree that public schools serve their benefactors (the taxpayers) better whenever they encourage a nutritious diet and exercise in students. The easiest place to pick these programs up without having to pour more money into the district is in PE programs and in experimenting with better meal programs.

This is something even my cold conservative heart can see the logic in.

November 20, 2008 at 4:34 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

unsympathetic (anonymous) says...

GW, it's not just their problem. I'm fit, in shape, and run between 40-50 miles per week. I have no health problems and take care of myself, but it is still ridiculously expensive for me to have health insurance (that I don't ever use). So these fat people are making it our problem too, and if more PE for children will help, then I'm all for it.

November 25, 2008 at 10:31 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

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