Chapter 1: Physical Activity and the School Program

August 29, 2012

The Problem and Why Physical Activity Is Important

• Prevalence of overweight children has doubled in past 20 years (to 18.8% in 2004).

• Overweight children = overweight adults.• Obesity is second only to smoking as a cause

of premature death.• Obesity is a major cause of chronic diseases

that are preventable.• It is a major burden on the economy.

How Did We Get in This Shape?

• Lifestyle issues– Technology– Less physical labor (better appliances, hired workers)– Environment (unsafe neighborhoods)– Sedentary activities occupy too much time.

• School programs– No Child Left Behind emphasizes academics.– Physical education (PE) programs and time for PE have

decreased.

(continued)

How Did We Get in This Shape? (continued)

• Community changes– Schools farther away, less walking to school– Many places are only accessible by car (think big

shopping centers)– Gyms and fitness centers costly– Busy schedules

The Contributions of Physical Activity

• Growth and development– Builds strong bones and muscles– Controls blood pressure and cholesterol levels– Benefits all systems in the body

(continued)

The Contributions of Physical Activity (continued)

• Social and emotional well-being– Play is an important human behavior.– Physical play is a major contributor to the

development of social skills and the well-being of adults.

– Children who develop skills early in life become participants later in life.

(continued)

The Contributions of Physical Activity (continued)

• Cognitive functioning and academic performance– PA enhances cognitive functioning (children need

breaks!).– PA increases academic performance (common

misconception that it decreases).• More attentive, fewer behavior problems

– PA is a great medium for learning academic content.

– PA decreases behavior problems in classrooms.

Physical Activity, Fitness, and Exercise

• Physical activity (PA): Any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure.

• Exercise: A subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive and is done to improve or maintain physical fitness.– “Purposeful”

• Physical fitness: A set of attributes that are either health or skill related

Fitness

• Health-related: – Cardiorespiratory endurance – Flexibility – Body composition– Muscular strength– Muscular endurance

• Skill-related: Balance, agility, power, reaction time, speed, and coordination

Relationship Between Fitness and Physical Activity

• For young children the relationship is not strong.– Effort should focus on physical activity and not

fitness.– Fitness will follow participation in physical activity.

• Emphasis should be on health-related fitness in the school program.

Factors That Affect Physical Activity• Gender (Boys more active)• Age (Younger children more active)• Race (White children more active than black children)• Success in physical activities (Children with confidence in

abilities more active)• Perception of value of PA (Children who perceive the benefits

as positive more active)• Parent activity (Children with active parents more active)• Where you live (Children with convenient access to places to

be active are more active)• Others?

National Recommendations for Physical Activity

• Should get majority of the PA from lifestyle activities.

• At least some PA should come from either active aerobic activities or active sport and recreation.

• It is also important to maintain flexibility and muscular strength through activities that make you stretch or overload the muscles.

• Long periods of inactivity are to be avoided at all ages.

(continued)

National Recommendations for Physical Activity (continued)

• Physical activity does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial.

• The level of intensity is typically described as moderate or vigorous and is based upon the amount of energy used by the body during activity.

Figure 1.1

Physical Activity Recommendations for Children

• Children should participate in several short bouts of physical activity in a day.

• Children should be encouraged and provided opportunities to participate in a variety of activities that are– Age appropriate – Enjoyable

(continued)

Physical Activity Recommendations for Children (continued)

• Children should do 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily. The activity time should include:– Aerobic activity: Should be mostly at a moderate or

vigorous intensity level and should include vigorous intensity at least three days per week

– Muscle strengthening: At least three days/week – Bone strengthening: At least three days/week

(continued)

Physical Activity Recommendations for Children (continued)

• Children have short attention spans, and long-duration activities do not keep their attention.

• The idea of “future health” is usually not effective in motivating children. They need evidence of success for motivation.

• Children need more intermittent activity with frequent short recovery periods.

(continued)

Physical Activity Recommendations for Children (continued)

• Self-efficacy (a feeling that you can be successful) in physical activity is important to build in younger years to promote a lifetime of physical activity adherence.

• Children can learn to be inactive if they are not given the opportunities to be active when they are young.

Physical Activity Recommendations for Adolescents

• A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week and 20 minutes of vigorous activity at least three days of the week.

• Two models for adolescents:– Lifetime Activity Model (e.g. yard work, housework,

games and sports)– Exercise Prescription Model (e.g. jogging, exercise

machines, curl-ups, push-ups, weight training) (continued)

Physical Activity Recommendations for Adolescents (continued)

• Only about half of U.S. adolescents (ages 12-21) regularly participate in vigorous physical activity.

• Adolescents can sustain longer bouts of more intense activities than children.

• They need to include Level 3 activities.

Physical Activity Recommendations for Adults

• A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week (e.g., brisk walking).

• A minimum of 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity (e.g., jogging, running, using aerobic gym equipment) three days per week.

• Strength training (e.g., weightlifting) should be incorporated two days per week.

Solutions Come With a Comprehensive Approach

• Communities• Schools• Parents• Government policy making