The House Committee on Education and Labor passed the "Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act". This will now go to the House floor for financing - probably from the "Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010" passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee funded at $4.5 billion over 10 years.
A major push for this legislation comes from the military. Finally it is being acknowledged that obesity impacts the strategic balance of the country. For years, the fight of obesity was waged on micro level but now it is being fought at macro level because the increase of obesity threatens the very safety of the country. The 15,000 military recruiters found that 1 in 4, or 27% of all young adults between 17 and 24 cannot enlist. They are too overweight. As a result, hundreds of otherwise excellent recruits are being turned away.
The statistics are well known: Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years. According to the CDC, in 10 years the number of states reporting 40% or more young adults as overweight or obese jumped from one to thirty nine!
A group of 150 retired generals and admirals released a report called "To Fat to Fight" to raise public awareness about a national security implications of the childhood obesity. The consensus is that parent choices cannot be legislated but food provided in school can be regulated. The price tag of $4.5 billion over ten years is far less than the $75 billion spent each year on health care costs related to obesity.
Finally, obesity is every one's problem.
Michael Cordier
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Accountability
An interesting article from the Washington Post by Daniel Willingham caught the eye the other day. It had nothing to do with physical activity on which we normally focus but might have everything to do with leading healthy lifestyles.
The author questions the push of the Department of Education towards teacher accountability where teachers could loose their jobs if student performance does not improve. The Department in essence gives students a free pass for any accountability (if tests scores are discounted). The point is made that it is fair for a first grade teacher to reach out to students as they might not respond on their own. But if the same thing is said to a high school teacher the system failed to teach and prepare students to handle responsibility.
Dr. Willingham, who teaches at the University of Virginia, reflects that freshmen are unaccustomed to the idea that they are fully responsible for their actions in the academic arena. In contrast, most professors think of students as 100% responsible for their own learning while their job is to teach well. It is indeed the same attitude in the workplace or military. Why then the entitlement attitude of young adults to think that someone else will step up or that there is always a plan B?
In all the formulations of teacher accountability for student performance, student responsibility is not taken into account at all. Failure is blamed solidly on teachers. Certainly students are responsible to do their part and society should demand it.
The same principle applies to leading a healthy lifestyle. One can have all the knowledge, all the equipment, and all the support, but if you don't take the first step you can expect personal results. It remains the responsibility of the individual.
Michael Cordier
The author questions the push of the Department of Education towards teacher accountability where teachers could loose their jobs if student performance does not improve. The Department in essence gives students a free pass for any accountability (if tests scores are discounted). The point is made that it is fair for a first grade teacher to reach out to students as they might not respond on their own. But if the same thing is said to a high school teacher the system failed to teach and prepare students to handle responsibility.
Dr. Willingham, who teaches at the University of Virginia, reflects that freshmen are unaccustomed to the idea that they are fully responsible for their actions in the academic arena. In contrast, most professors think of students as 100% responsible for their own learning while their job is to teach well. It is indeed the same attitude in the workplace or military. Why then the entitlement attitude of young adults to think that someone else will step up or that there is always a plan B?
In all the formulations of teacher accountability for student performance, student responsibility is not taken into account at all. Failure is blamed solidly on teachers. Certainly students are responsible to do their part and society should demand it.
The same principle applies to leading a healthy lifestyle. One can have all the knowledge, all the equipment, and all the support, but if you don't take the first step you can expect personal results. It remains the responsibility of the individual.
Michael Cordier
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Heavy Weights Weigh In
Imagine the incredible brain trust or think tank you get when combining the resources of the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Human Services. This happened recently when a research paper was published that summarized all research related to the association between school-based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance.
In fact, the team reviewed 406 articles from nine databases against a set of indicators including cognitive skills and attitudes, academic behaviors, academic achievement, physical activity, physical education, recess, classroom-based physical activity, and extracurricular physical activity. In the end, 50 unique studies from 43 articles deemed appropriate to analyze and draw conclusions.
Interestingly, across all 50 studies there were a total of 251 associations between physical activity and academic performance! Of all the associations examined, 50.5% were positive (supporting the benefits of physical activity on academic performance), 48% were not significant (in behavior, attitude, or academic change), and only 1.5% were negative.
In essence, 14 studies found one or more positive associations between school-based physical education and indicators of academic performance while three found no significant associations. Eight studies found one or more positive associations between recces and indicators of cognitive skills, attitudes, and academic behavior. None of the studies found negative associations with recess. Eight out of nine studies found positive associations between classroom-based physical activity and cognitive skills, attitudes, and academic behavior. The focus was on 5 - 20 minute activity breaks in academic classes (excluding PE).
All 19 studies examining relationships between participation in extracurricular physical activities (interscholastic or other sports) and academic performance found one or more positive associations between such activities and academic performance.
The implication of this report for policy is far reaching. There is substantial evidence that physical activity improve academic performance including grades and standardized test scores. It underscores that physical activity have an impact on cognitive skills and attitudes as well as academic behavior - all of which are important components of improved academic performance. Finally, increasing or maintaining time dedicated to physical education may help, and does not appear to adversely impact, academic performance.
We rest our case.
Michael Cordier
In fact, the team reviewed 406 articles from nine databases against a set of indicators including cognitive skills and attitudes, academic behaviors, academic achievement, physical activity, physical education, recess, classroom-based physical activity, and extracurricular physical activity. In the end, 50 unique studies from 43 articles deemed appropriate to analyze and draw conclusions.
Interestingly, across all 50 studies there were a total of 251 associations between physical activity and academic performance! Of all the associations examined, 50.5% were positive (supporting the benefits of physical activity on academic performance), 48% were not significant (in behavior, attitude, or academic change), and only 1.5% were negative.
In essence, 14 studies found one or more positive associations between school-based physical education and indicators of academic performance while three found no significant associations. Eight studies found one or more positive associations between recces and indicators of cognitive skills, attitudes, and academic behavior. None of the studies found negative associations with recess. Eight out of nine studies found positive associations between classroom-based physical activity and cognitive skills, attitudes, and academic behavior. The focus was on 5 - 20 minute activity breaks in academic classes (excluding PE).
All 19 studies examining relationships between participation in extracurricular physical activities (interscholastic or other sports) and academic performance found one or more positive associations between such activities and academic performance.
The implication of this report for policy is far reaching. There is substantial evidence that physical activity improve academic performance including grades and standardized test scores. It underscores that physical activity have an impact on cognitive skills and attitudes as well as academic behavior - all of which are important components of improved academic performance. Finally, increasing or maintaining time dedicated to physical education may help, and does not appear to adversely impact, academic performance.
We rest our case.
Michael Cordier
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