Katie+Research+Paper

Taking Physical Education Out of Schools: A Solution or the Cause of a Bigger Problem? Thesis: Eliminating daily exercise and not being taught healthy eating habits have put more children at risk for developing obesity. Physical education needs to be restored to school curriculum if America wants any chance of a bright, healthy future. According to the Center of Disease Control, sixteen percent of children (over nine million) between the ages of six and nineteen years old are overweight or obese - a number that has tripled since 1980. (Centers for Disease Control 1). This problem and dangerous health condition is growing and continuing to get worse and worse with each passing year. Childhood Obesity is one of the leading health problems facing Americans today. Thanks to fast food, lack of portion size control, and little to no physical exercise, children and teenagers are expending less calories than they consume. (Centers for Disease Control 2). This lifestyle must change and be controlled. Initiating healthy eating habits and active lifestyles early in children’s’ lives will keep kids healthy, safe, and able to be the best they possibly can. Physical education is no longer a class that must be taken every year. In elementary and middle schools, gym is only taught once a week. High school students, now, are only are required to participate in a physical education program for one semester, out of their four years of high school. This change in curriculum is a much bigger deal than one might realize. It not only helps the problem of childhood obesity flourish, but also promotes it as well. By limiting students’ daily exercise, they are taught to live their lives in front of a television, rather than play outside. In my paper, the focus is on the fact that children need to be apart of a physical education class. The benefits are to rewarding to let them pass by a child in need of education. Education about health is just as important as math and English. Kids take away knowledge that they use throughout the rest of their lives in P.E classes. Therefore, there is no excuse not to fund and support physical education programs.