Rising Childhood Obesity Rates

Ellie McElhone
November 24, 2014
ENG 1800 - Professor Olson

Hamline University 0194

1536 Hewitt Ave
St. Paul, MN 55104
Phone: 651-523-2406
Email: molson@hamline.edu

November 17, 2014

Professor Mark Olson
English Program Directors
Hamline University
1536 Hewitt Ave
St. Paul, MN 55104
Dear Professor Olson:
Enclosed is Rising Childhood Obesity Rates. As a student at Hamline University, you
are receiving this report to decide the feasibility on how schools can help lower childhood
obesity rates by incorporating more physical activity into or after the school day.
The report is analyzed into multiple parts to show why schools need to take part in
childhood obesity rates. (1) Analysis of rising childhood obesity rates shows the many
factors of why children are not being active. (2) Average daily physical activity tell us
how children need sixty minutes of physical activity every day and that most children are
not fitting that criterion. (3) Physical activity and motor skill development explains
physical activity helps develop motor skills at a young age that you will need for the rest
of your life. (4) Physical activity vs. academic performance shows that there is a
positive association between the two. (5) Hamline Elementary students are on average,
not physically active after school, while most of them enjoy watching TV or playing
videogames. It is my hope that schools can incorporate more physical activity into the
school day or add after school athletic programs to their curriculum.
This report will provide the necessary information to allow you to make a decision in
incorporating more physical activity either into or after the school day. Please let me
know if you have any questions on this report or if you need any further information to
help make a decision. I may be reached at emcelhone01@hamline.edu.
Sincerely,
Ellie McElhone
Enclosed: Rising Childhood Obesity Rates

Table of Contents
ABSTRACT...2
INTRODUCTION..... 3
National Physical Education Standards..... 3
School Attendance Laws... 4
DISCUSSION... 4
Analysis of Rising Childhood Obesity Rates.... 4
Average Daily Physical Activity... 5
Physical Activity and Motor Skill Development...6
Physical Activity vs. Academic Performance....6
Hamline Elementary...7
CONCLUSION......7
RECOMMENDATIONS...7
WORK CITED...8
APPENDIX A....9

ABSTRACT
This report looks into whether it is feasible to incorporate more physical activity into or
after the school day. With childhood obesity on the rise, it is important our society takes a
stance and makes the next step in helping lower these rates. Every child is mandated to
attend school daily, making schools the best place to help lower childhood obesity rates.
WebMD says 74% of children aged 5-10 are not getting the necessary sixty minutes of
daily exercise. When surveying a fifth grade class from Hamline Elementary, WebMDs
statistics held true. The Hamline Elementary students played a big part in helping find
which option, incorporating more physical activity into the school day or adding after
school athletic programs, was more feasible.
After surveying the fifth grade class from Hamline Elementary, adding after school
athletic programs looks to be the best fit as the majority of the children are going home
after school and either watching TV, playing video games, or playing on their tablet.
The results from the survey suggest that further research needs to be done in order to
ensure its feasibility. The next step would be talking to the St. Paul school board about
the financing. The cost of adding an after school athletic program could be significant but
the worth of the childrens health may outweigh that issue.

INTRODUCTION
This report looks into how physical activity and lack of have an impact on childhood
obesity. The purpose of this report is to provide the evidence to why schools are the best
place to incorporate more physical activity and why it is necessary for physical activity to
be an essential part to every childs day.
The percentage of children aged 6-11 years in the United States who were obese
increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012 (MD, Carroll). With that statistic
almost tripling over the last 30 years, this issue needs to be addressed. By giving children
the opportunity to stay after school and be active with other classmates will help reduce
those rising percentages. With childhood obesity becoming such a big issue in the United
States, creating after school athletic programs for elementary aged children will begin to
reduce this problem. One solution to lowering obesity rates is by creating a program that
allows students from kindergarten through fifth grade to have the opportunity to stay after
school and be active with their classmates, or add more physical activity into the school
day to ensure children get the necessary amount of physical activity each day.
This is an opportunity for our schools to help make a difference in the rising childhood
obesity rates across the United States. Obesity is not only affecting these children right
now, but as they grow older it will very likely stick with them. The Center for Disease
Control and Prevention states, Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be
obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult heath problems such as heart
disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis (DS,
Freedman). If every parent understood the severity of childhood obesity they would most
likely help their children by putting them into an athletic program.
National Physical Education Standards
Minnesota has recently developed the national physical education standards and by law,
every school is to take the five national standards into effect and incorporate them into
their curriculum. Shape America says that every physically literate individual must:

Standard 1 demonstrate competency in a variety of motor skills and movement

patterns.

Standard 2 apply knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies and tactics related

to movement and performance.

Standard 3 demonstrate the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a

health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.

Standard 4 exhibit responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and
others.

Standard 5 recognize the value of physical activity for health, enjoyment,

challenge, self-expression and/or social interaction.

The question is, how seriously are schools taking these standards and if they are taking
them seriously, why are childhood obesity rates still so high (National PE Standards)?
Incorporating physical activity into the school programs is the easiest ways to help slow
down the rising obesity rates in children.
School Attendance Laws
According to Ramsey County, The law states that all children between the ages 7-18,
and ages 5 and 6 if they are enrolled, must attend school every day on time unless
lawfully excused by the school (School Attendance Laws). Since everyday attendance is
mandatory, the best place for children to get the necessary sixty minutes of daily exercise
is at schools.
The five physical education standards listed above can and should be an easy way for
schools to allow for the sixty minutes of required daily physical activity.
DISCUSSION
This section will breakdown every reason to why schools should incorporate more
physical activity either into or after the school day. In this section, it will show obesity
rates, how much physical activity is needed on a daily basis, how physical activity relates
to motor skills as one is developing, and academic performance in the classroom.
Analysis of Rising Childhood Obesity Rates
The YMCA-USA asked parents around the United States to see how much physical
activity their children were getting. The bar graph below gives the percentages to each
question pertaining to daily physical activity:
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%

Figure 1. A survey conducted by the Y-USA to get parents input on physical

activity. (Hendrick)

As shown in the bar graph above, there are many factors playing into the lack of physical
activity for children in the United States on a daily basis. The highest result showing that
74% of parents say they choose to spend family time with their children sitting in front
of a TV set (Hendrick). These statistics are the reason why childhood obesity rates are
climbing in the United States. Since we know many children are not getting the
opportunity to be involved in physical activity in their homes, we need to find a solution;
adding more physical activity into schools.

Figure 2. A bar graph that shows estimated percentages

of children 2-19 that are either overweight or obese.
-Light gray=Overweight, Dark gray=Obese. (Overweight
and obesity statistics).
The results from the bar graph above, from Overweight and Obesity Statistics, shows the
percentages of children two through nineteen who are either overweight or obese. As
seen in the graph, as the children get older, the percentages rise. By incorporating more
physical activity into the school systems this will help lower these percentages and stop
the incline from ages two to nineteen in obesity rates.
Average Daily Physical Activity
According to WebMD, 74% of children between the ages of 5 and 10 do not get enough
exercise on a daily basis, based on the 60 minutes of daily physical activity recommended
in the governments Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the survey
conducted showed that 58% of children ages 5-10 spend fewer than four days a week
playing outdoors (Hendrick). The issue of why childhood obesity is on the rise is
evident; these statistics show shocking results of how little the average American child
gets outside and exercises.

Physical Activity and Motor Skill Development

Physical activity helps preschoolers develop motor skills today that they will need for
tomorrow (McMaster University). Children learn the majority of their motor skills in
their preschool years, so it is very important for them to be developing physical activity
in their everyday lives. The university gives several ways to help improve preschool aged
childrens motor skills by:

Playing freeze dance

Playing follow the leader

Playing basketball, soccer, etc.

Going swimming

By showing children new movements, and different ways of getting active, they are
gaining extensive motor skills that are essential to living a healthy lifestyle. By learning
these skills in preschool, when children reach elementary education they will be able to
participate in all activities that should be presented today, such as soccer, basketball,
kickball, etc.
Physical Activity vs. Academic Performance
ABC News reports, a 2010 literature review done by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention found that out of 50 studies, more than half showed a positive association
between school-based physical activitysuch as physical education, recess and
extracurricular sportsand academic performance and about half found no effect
(Carollo). This study shows that there is a positive correlation between exercise and
academic performance. By incorporating physical activity into the school day, there is a
strong possibility that it would help improve childrens learning abilities.
The University of Eastern Finland have found that daily physical activity has a positive
impact on childrens academic performance:
The authors say that levels of physical activity are decreasing, while sedentary
behaviors such as watching TV are increasing among children in developed
countries. Previous research has also suggested that lower levels of physical
activity are associated with poorer academic achievement within children
(University of Eastern Finland).
It is clear that by incorporating exercise into the school day, it not only will lower
childhood obesity rates, but also with childrens performance in the classroom. By having
sixty minutes of continuous exercise, children will be ready to learn and be able to
accelerate in school, and have a healthier lifestyle than what they are continuing right
now.

Hamline Elementary
Ms. Smiths fifth grade class helped me by providing answers to how they spend their
day during and after school (For complete survey questions, see Appendix A). Only
31.5% of the children at Hamline Elementary are active after school, whether that be
going outside or playing basketball, while the other 68.4% spend their time after school
watching TV, playing videogames, or playing on their tablets. Only 36.8% of the children
are involved in sports outside of school.
One surprising statistic is that 73.7% of the Hamline Elementary children are active
during recess. Many children answered that during recess they enjoy playing soccer,
doing gymnastics, and running around with their friends.
This shows that childhood obesity is evident right here in St. Paul. By narrowing this
report to the St. Paul school district, it would be easier to bring real statistics from schools
in the area to show that there is a real problem that needs to be addressed.
CONCLUSION
The evidence found thus far, gives reason to believe that adding more physical activity
into schools is necessary by law to keep up to the National Physical Education Standards.
It also provides evidence that children are not getting the necessary amount of daily
physical activity and that one place that every child has to attend daily is school, what
better place to hold them accountable.
The evidence that was found from the Hamline Elementary children shows that it would
be more beneficial to have after school athletic programs rather than adding more
physical activity into the school day. There is a clear distinction between the numbers of
children that are active and non-active after school and by adding after school athletic
programs, many of these children would join to not only get the necessary sixty minutes
of daily exercise but also to be with their friends. One reason that leads me to believe
after school programs would be more beneficial than during the school day is because
73.7% of the children are already getting active during the day, showing that is not the
big issue. Instead of these children going home and watching TV or playing video games,
we will provide a physically active environment for them to strive in.
From the information analyzed, I have come to the conclusion that this report needs
further research to determine its feasibility.
RECOMMENDATIONS
At this point in time, this report needs to be researched further to determine whether it is
feasible to incorporate more physical activity into or after the school day. I would
recommend the next step being, figuring out the cost of adding this to school curriculums
in the St. Paul area. It could be a costly matter in hiring someone to run the program, but
would it be worth the money is the big question. I would also contact the school board
and see what they recommend be the next steps to making this feasible.

Work Cited
Carollo, Kim. "Physical Activity May Help Kids' Grades, Too." ABC News. ABC News
Network, 3 Jan. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Hendrick, Bill. "Most Young Kids Don't Get Enough Exercise." Children's Health.
WebMD, 14 Apr. 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Kathleen, Costanza. "How Physical Activity Can Help Kids Do Better in
School." Remake Learning. 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
McMaster University. "Physical Activity and Motor Skill Development." Child Health &
Exercise Medical Program 3 (2011):Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
"National PE Standards." Shape America. Society of Health and Physical Educators.
Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity
in the United States, 2011-2012. Journal of the American Medical
Association 2014;311(8):806-814.
"Overweight and Obesity Statistics." WIN. NIDDK, 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
"School Attendance Laws." Ramsey County Attorney. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Smith, Diane. Physical Activity. Survey. 14 November 2014.
University of Eastern Finland. "High Levels of Physical Activity Linked to Early
Academic Achievement." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 12
Sept. 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.

Appendix A
Sample Survey: Physical Activity
What do you enjoy doing after school?
Are you involved in any sports outside of school?
Yes

No

What is your favorite activity to do during recess?

Results
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Non
Active

Active

Not involved
involved

Sports

Non
Sports

Percent of children active Percent involved in sports Favorite activity during

after school
recess