Physical education a vital link to students' health and success

Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes remain the No.1 killer of Americans. The disease is one that begins and progresses over decades, and unfortunately is now starting with our kids.

Studies show that one out of five teenagers ages 13-19 already have the earliest signs of atherosclerosis. If we are truly serious about the prevention of cardiovascular disease, it cannot begin at age 50 in the emergency room with an elephant sitting on your chest. It must begin with our children.

One of the greatest threats to our kids today is the obesity epidemic. More than one-third of children and teenagers, approximately 25 million, are either overweight or obese. Pediatricians are now spending more time treating hypertension, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. While we are seeing a rise in these alarming risk factors, we are also witnessing the decline of physical activity among our youth.

The issue is further exacerbated by the reduction of time spent in physical education in schools. Beginning with the recession of the 1990s and subsequent budgetary constraints, coupled with the introduction of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test and increasing pressures to perform academically, school officials have questioned the amount of time devoted to physical education. This has led to a progressive decline in school-based physical activity, and in some cases these programs have been eliminated.

After years of decline, the Florida Legislature in 2007 approved 150 minutes of physical education per week for grades kindergarten through five. In 2008, the American Heart Association, along with other groups, supported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation of 225 minutes of physical education per week for middle school children. Unfortunately, the Legislature approved only one semester of P.E. per year for middle school. In addition, it provided a broad waiver option that allowed parents to withdraw their children (in grades K through eight) from P.E. Currently, about 42 percent of middle school children opt out of physical education.

The health benefits of physical activity are indisputable. So how do we rationalize this decrease in P.E.? One of the primary reasons given is a belief that more time spent on classroom instruction will lead to an improvement in academic performance and increase standardized test scores. But just the opposite is true.

Studies have shown that sacrificing P.E. for classroom time does not improve academic performance. Students who increased the time they spent in P.E. either maintained or improved their grades and their standardized test scores as compared to the control groups. Activity breaks have been shown to improve students' concentration skills, cognitive performance and classroom behavior.

Florida House Bill 4057, sponsored by Rep. Larry Metz, and Senate Bill 1644, sponsored by Sen. Evelyn Lynn, would remove the current requirement for physical education in our middle schools. According to Capital News Service, Metz said: "I don't think parents get a pass for the health and welfare of their students. I think they're primarily responsible for that."

We absolutely agree that parents ultimately decide what is best for their children; however, schools serve as an excellent venue to assist parents in providing their children the opportunity for daily physical activity and educating them as to the importance of exercise and developing the skills necessary to support an active and healthy lifestyle. Without a requirement for P.E. in our schools, the reality is that with increasing budgetary constraints there will be further reductions or, worse, elimination of P.E.

Families and schools need to prioritize exercise as much as we do academics. Without this we will be putting our children at great risk. Without an aggressive approach to the childhood obesity epidemic, which must include physical education, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.