Improving Physical Education in U.S. Schools is Key to Fighting Child Obesity Epidemic, Witnesses Tell House Education Committee
Decline in School Physical Education Classes is Major Factor Contributing to Obesity Crisis

Thursday, July 24,2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With studies showing that more than a third of U.S. schoolchildren are now obese, expanding and improving physical education in the nation’s schools is key to fighting child obesity, witnesses testified before the House Education and Labor Committee today.

Today’s hearing comes a week after a new study released by the National Institutes of Health showed that the physical activity of American children is dramatically decreasing as they move into their teenage years.

“The nation’s staggering child obesity epidemic is putting the well-being of our schoolchildren, and our nation’s long-term health and economic strength at grave risk,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the committee. “With kids becoming less physically active overall, educating schoolchildren about the importance of exercise and good nutrition is essential to tackling the childhood obesity crisis in this country.”

Research shows that overweight children are now more vulnerable to serious diseases that were once a rarity among young kids, including cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, and certain types of cancer. As witnesses explained today, the obesity crisis poses severe social and economic threats to the U.S.

“Physical education must return to a standard part of our education curriculum,” urged Richard Simmons, a fitness expert and advocate, who has worked with U.S. Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Zach Wamp (R-TN), to introduce legislation to strengthen physical education in schools. “For many kids, because of economic or environmental concerns, school may very well be the only place they are able to participate in any sort of physical activity.”

“The childhood obesity crisis in the United States cannot be overstated. The epidemic is so severe that some experts predict that this generation of Americans may be the first to have shorter lives than their parents,” said Dr. Russell Pate, the Associate Vice President for Health Sciences and a Professor at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.

Pate, who specializes in research on the health implications of children’s physical activity, explained that a new and growing body of research shows that physical activity can help with children’s brain function and activity, and improve their academic performance. 

U.S. schools have drastically reduced their physical education programs in recent years; fewer than ten percent of all public schools now offer daily physical education classes. Although the National Association for Sport and Physical Activity recommends at least 150 minutes of exercise a week for elementary students and 225 minutes a week for middle and high school students, most schools offer far less.

A 2005 report by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that nationwide, public schools offer about 85 minutes of exercise for first-graders, and only about 98 minutes a week for sixth-graders.

 “I’m struck by the dangerous number of kids who are not yet overweight but are headed down the road to ill health because they get so little physical activity and they have such unhealthy diets,” said Tim Brown, a former National Football League All-Pro Player, who cited a 2002 study by the California Department of Education that found a strong link between higher student achievement and increased physical fitness levels. “The solution has to be focused on getting our kids to embrace regular exercise and good nutrition.

Lori Rose Benson, the Director of the Office of Fitness and Health Education for the New York City Department of Education, highlighted new and innovative initiatives being taken to improve fitness education in New York City’s public schools.

“Movement in classrooms is an exciting development in school fitness. Regular classroom teachers are leading their students in fitness activities that complement, not supplant, teaching in core academic subjects. We’re showing teachers that including activity in the regular classroom day gets students ‘ready to learn’ and also teaches that lifelong habits are essential for good health,” she said.

“We cannot solve our health care crisis without addressing the obesity crisis,” said Rep. Kind. “By teaching kids healthy habits early in life and increasing their physical activity, we will help reduce childhood obesity, improve academic test scores, save billions of dollars in health care costs, and save lives.

Over the past year, the committee has also held several hearings to examine how to strengthen and improve the nation’s federal child nutrition plans and help more schools offer healthy, low-cost meals for students. For more information on those hearings, click here.

To view all of the testimonies from today’s hearing, click here.

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