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Why Physical Education is Failing to Promote
Active and Healthy Lifestyles
Okay, I know the title is depressing so let me first hasten to
add that even if I am correct, the failure that physical education
is experiencing is not due to a lack of effort but rather to a lack
of vision.
Health data is clear. Children's health is declining and has been
for some years. Obesity and associated life threatening diseases
are increasing. Absent any significant intervention, medical costs
over the next 20-30 years will spiral uncontrollably.
Frustratingly, over the same period that children's health has
deteriorated, the physical education profession has probably witnessed
more positive change than in any previous period of its history.
We've established standards, assessments, and more innovative programs
than ever before. Significant numbers of physical educators at all
levels have been working as hard as they can to promote active and
healthy lifestyles.
Unfortunately, the health data tells us that we are failing. But
why? If it's not a lack of effort what is it? In fact, the reasons
are simple and come down mostly to time. Specifically, how and where
today's children spend their time.
Look closely at the child's day and it becomes self-evident just
how little direct influence physical educators can possibly have.
Recognize first that we begin handicapped. Our students' initial
attitudes and habits toward physical activity are shaped long before
they even enter our elementary schools.
Research on reading, shows clearly that children who enter kindergarten
with low reading skills, rarely catch up. They always lag behind
their peers and perform poorly in all classroom subjects. Why should
PE be any different? What impact can we expect to have on children
with 30 minutes of weekly PE when many kindergarteners enter school
already overweight and lacking basic motor skills?
It is also absurd to think that just 1 hour of PE during grades
1-5 has much chance of overcoming the negative health impact of
an already well-developed sedentary lifestyle. Today's children
rarely walk or bike to school. Then they spend the majority of the
day in sedentary classroom activity where the impetus on raising
academic scores leads to reductions in recess and physical education
time.
At home, young people ages 2-18 spend on average 4 hours a day
watching television. Parents are reluctant to allow unsupervised
neighborhood play. Instead, neighborhood play has been replaced
by adult organized sports. Today's youth now only play sports in
organized settings, and the overemphasis on winning and trophies
has led to an unprecedented sports drop out rate. Few children eat
appropriate and nutritious foods, but are instead raised on a diet
that super-sizes their bodies.
Is there any hope? Of course, but perhaps we need to rethink our
role as physical educators. More than 80 years ago, Clark Hetherington
wrote that a physical educator's measure of success was in what
children chose to do outside of class. Right now far too many children
are choosing to be inactive and unhealthy. Until we - together with
other interested groups - become part of a coordinated effort to
impact children's lifestyles before, during, and after school, it
is unrealistic to expect school physical education to have much
of a health-promoting impact.
Steve Jefferies
Central Washington University
Publisher PELINKS4U
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