Topic Presentation
Physical activity plays a crucial role in every person’s life since it directly affects their physical and mental well-being. Being physically active is especially crucial for younger generations who are growing and developing. Nevertheless, with the changing reality, global pandemics, remote jobs, education, and the prevalence of technology that allows delegating various tasks, the amount of time people spend being active has significantly reduced.
In the US, childhood and adolescent obesity has reached epidemic proportions and is hurting millions of individuals (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). Overweight children and adolescents have nearly doubled and tripled over the last three decades (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). This proposal addresses this issue by increasing the time dedicated to physical activity during the school day. Its target audience is teachers, parents, and administrators at schools who have the authority to alter the curriculum and daily activities.
Health Consequences of Childhood Obesity
Given the negative effects associated with obesity and low activity, both parents and school staff need to focus on the influence of the condition on children’s physical and mental health. It can be noted that childhood obesity might severely impact a child’s physical wellness, psychological and social well-being, along with self-esteem (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). However, besides this, obesity in childhood often leads to poor academic achievement and an individual’s inadequate standard of living (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). In addition, Sanyaolu and colleagues (2019, p.3) claimed that “metabolic, cardiovascular, orthopedic, neurological, hepatic, pulmonary, and menstrual disorders, among others, are consequences of childhood obesity.” Thus, the issue of obesity and low activity affects every family and child nationwide.
Proposed Strategies to Increase Physical Activity in Schools
To tackle the issue of obesity and low activity in schools, it is essential to incorporate more holistic physical activity programs into the curriculum. The school administrators can implement the first approach to extend the duration allocated to physical education classes. In 2010, the prevalence of inadequate physical activity among school-age adolescents worldwide was 84.4% for girls and 78.4% for boys (Guthold et al., 2020).
Consequently, a reduced amount of physical activity can lead to detrimental effects. As more physical education lessons can reach students from every socioeconomic stratum, daily or more frequent physical education programs are a widespread practice to boost exercise time throughout the school day. Intervention programs implemented in schools positively impact motor function and health metrics (Reif et al., 2021). In such a case, the changes can involve physical education classes five times a week, with the program being aimed at engaging students in the activities and building necessary strength and endurance skills. Therefore, adjusting the physical education programs in schools is beneficial regarding results.
Another strategy to address the issue is to introduce movement-based classroom breaks. According to the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey statistics, 18.5% of children and adolescents in the United States were obese in the years 2015-2016. Obesity can impact children and adolescents’ general physical and mental health and cardiovascular and mental wellness (Sanyaolu et al., 2019).
However, considering that more breaks will involve physical activity, there is a possibility of improving children’s well-being and reducing the risks of obesity and diabetes. Additionally, such changes can lead to enhancements in learning outcomes, motor abilities, or the quantity of physical activity. Still, the most significant aspect is that they are pleasant for teachers and students (Petrigna et al., 2022).
The primary focus should not be on program rendering but on student motivation. Educators should not be required to spend time preparing as many activities as possible. Instead, both educators and students need to find physical activities that the latter would find enjoyable. Teachers can implement active classroom breaks on a daily basis to help students remain active after sedentary behavior.
The last solution to the issue is to offer after-school physical activity programs with the support of parents. Many children do not have access to many activities outside of school. The situation has been exacerbated by the beginning of the global pandemic. Children who were of normal weight had gained a median of 1.55 kg each year prior to the epidemic (Dyer, 2021). During the epidemic, it increased to 2.45 kg.
After the pandemic started, obesity rates in people who had become moderately obese increased from 2.95 kg per year to 5.45 kg (Dyer, 2021). With a median body mass index (BMI) of 26.6 for men and 26.5 for women, the United States is the largest country that is the most overweight in the world (Dyer, 2021). Combined with low activity, it can be argued that obesity can become the leading cause of death.
Addressing Concerns and Ensuring Successful Implementation
The proposed strategy can be implemented with the endorsement of parents, and extracurricular activity ideas can be offered by students through voting. By taking direct control of the process and being in charge of choosing the activities, children will be more enthusiastic. This can help the learners become more engaged in the activities, which will help them not only become closer to their peers but also improve their well-being (Mitchell, 2019). The strategy will boost the intrinsic drive of learners, which will improve their enjoyment and involvement (Mitchell, 2019).
Considering students’ engagement in the process, the results might be guaranteed. Understandably, all stakeholders involved in this process might be concerned about the proposed strategies and the implementation of such changes. However, they must be reassured that the benefits of incorporating such activities and curriculum changes will outweigh the risks and fears. While the short-term effects of the changes will be improvements in the social bonding of children, the long-term effects involve better health outcomes for students. Overall, the changes will help reduce rates of obesity and improve academic performance among children.
References
Dyer, O. (2021). Obesity in US children increased at an unprecedented rate during the pandemic. BMJ, 374, 1-3. Web.
Guthold, R., Stevens, G. A., Riley, L. M., & Bull, F. C. (2020). Global trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents: A pooled analysis of 298 population-based surveys with 1· 6 million participants. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(1), 23-35. Web.
Mitchell J. (2019). Physical inactivity in childhood from preschool to adolescence. ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, 23(5), 21–25. Web.
Petrigna, L., Thomas, E., Brusa, J., Rizzo, F., Scardina, A., Galassi, C.,… & Bellafiore, M. (2022). Does learning through movement improve academic performance in primary schoolchildren? A systematic review. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 10, 1-13. Web.
Reif, A., Triska, C., Nader, M., Scharhag, J., Tschan, H., & Wessner, B. (2021). Influence of an increased number of physical education lessons on the motor performance of adolescents-A non-interventional cohort study. PloS One, 16(10), 1-17. Web.
Sanyaolu, A., Okorie, C., Qi, X., Locke, J., & Rehman, S. (2019). Childhood and adolescent obesity in the United States: A public health concern. Global Pediatric Health, 6, 1-11. Web.