By 1999, a reported 40 percent of schools in the United States had eliminated recess, reports "The Christian Science Monitor." According to "ESPN" magazine, the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act emphasizes student performance on standardized tests. This emphasis is often cited as having fueled schools' push to decrease time spent on in-school physical activity and increase time dedicated to core academic subjects and test preparation, even though research indicates that active children are healthier and perform better academically.
Significance
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, physical activity in childhood builds strong bones, increases a child's endurance, reduces her risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adulthood, reduces depression and anxiety and helps children feel happy. On the other hand, physical inactivity combined with poor nutrition are risk factors for conditions that physical activity prevents and controls, including asthma, arthritis and early death.
Potential
ScienceDaily cites a 2009 study led by University of Illinois Kinesiology and Community Health professor Charles Hillman and his colleagues. The study found that recess, physical education classes and after-school physical activity programs may improve a child's attention span and help him perform better on academic tests. The researchers tested students after walking on a treadmill for 20 minutes and after remaining inactive for 20 minutes. Students performed better on reading tests immediately after walking.
Recommendation
Based on their study, Hillman and his colleagues recommend that schools and teachers implement daily recess, offer 150 minutes of PE each week on the elementary level and 225 minutes per week on the secondary level and include physical activity in daily classroom instruction. Study coauthor, Darla Castelli, gives an example of how a teacher could integrate physical activity into a language art lesson involving nature poetry: "When reading poetry...students could act like falling leaves," she says.
Effects
In the Fall 2007 issue of "Active Education," the Active Living Research program states that students who take physical activity breaks may have fewer behavioral problems at school. In Georgia, a 1998 study involving 43 fourth graders found that students fidgeted less often on days in which they engaged in a scheduled physical activity and were more restless on their inactive days. More research is needed to determine if and how increased physical activity affects students of color or those of low income, two demographic groups at high risk for obesity, according to Active Living Research.
Benefits
The June 2007 issue of the "Californian Journal of Health Promotion" reports on a study that took place from January 2006 to June 2006 involving eighth-grade students, ages 13 to 14. The predominately rural students were tested on their levels of self-esteem before, during and after a trimester in which they performed in-school 40-minute yoga lessons plus PE or PE alone. The students' self-esteem scores rose after the trimester in which they participated in PE with or without yoga, indicating that any kind of physical activity may increase self-esteem.
References
- "The Christian Science Monitor": Recess Backlash: Parents Say it Pays to Play; Kris Axtman; Nov. 16, 2004
- "ESPN"; Critical Mass Crisis: Childhood Obesity; Mark Fainaru-Wada; March 26, 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy Youth! Physical Activity
- "MMWR"; Lifelong Physical Activity Among Young People; March 7, 1997
- ScienceDaily: Physical Activity May Strengthen Children's Ability To Pay Attention
Member Comments