Shape of Our Nation’s Children

Overweight Among Youth

• The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. Among children and teens age 6 to 19 years, 16 percent (over 9 million young people) are overweight.¹
• About 10 percent of children age 2 to 5 are overweight.²
• Four in 10 Mexican-American and African-American youths ages 6 to 19 are overweight or at risk of being overweight.²
• Approximately 60 percent of obese children age 5 to 10 years have at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, such as elevated total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, or blood pressure and 25 percent have two or more risk factors. ³
• Children and adolescents who are overweight by age 8 are 80 percent more likely to become overweight or obese adults.^x

Participation in Physical Activity by Young People

• More than a third of young people in grades 9 to 12 do not regularly engage in vigorous physical activity. ⁴
• One-third of young people in grades 9 to 12 get an insufficient amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity.⁴
• Over 11 percent of high school students get no moderate to vigorous physical activity.⁴
• Participation in physical activity declines as children get older. Sixty-nine percent of ninth graders participate in vigorous physical activity on a regular basis, while only 55 percent of 12th graders participate in the same level of activity.⁴
• Overall, among high school students, males are more physically active than females and white students are more active than black and Hispanic students.⁴

Participation in School Physical Education

• Nationwide, the percentage of high school students enrolled in physical education was 56 percent in 2003 (71% of 9th graders, 61% of 10th graders, 46% of 11th graders, and 40% of 12th graders).⁴
• The percentage of students who attended a daily physical education class has dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 28 percent in 2003.⁵
• The percentage of schools that require physical education in each grade declines from about 50 percent in grades 1 through 5 to 25 percent in grade 8, to only 5 percent in grade 12.⁶
• Eight percent of elementary schools, 6.4 percent of middle school/junior high schools, and 5.8 percent of senior high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent (i.e., 150 minutes per week for elementary schools; 225 minutes per week for middle school/junior and senior high schools) for the entire school year for students in all grades in the school.⁶

Public Support for Physical Education

• Ninety five percent of parents said that physical education should be included in the school curriculum for all students in kindergarten through grade 12.⁷
• Eight five percent of parents and 81 percent of teachers believe that students should be required to take physical education every day at every grade level 8 and 92 percent of teens said that they should receive daily physical education.⁷
• More than 75 percent of parents and teachers believe that school boards should not eliminate physical education for budgetary reasons or because of the need to meet stricter academic standards.⁸

National Recommendations

School-age youths should participate daily in 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity that is developmentally appropriate, enjoyable, and involves a variety of activities.9,10,11 All elementary school students should participate in at least 150 minutes per week of physical education, and all middle and high school students should participate in at least 225 minutes of physical education, for the entire school year.12,13,14,15,16

Critical Elements of a Quality Physical Education Program

1. Physical education is delivered by certified/licensed physical education teachers.
2. Adequate time (i.e., 150 minutes per week for elementary school students; 225 minutes per week for middle and high school students) is provided for physical education at every grade, K to 12.
3. All states develop standards for student learning in physical education that reflect the National Standards for Physical Education.
4. All states set minimum standards for student achievement in physical education.
5. Successfully meeting minimum standards in physical education is a requirement for high school graduation.

What do we want from the U.S. Congress?

Fully fund the Carol M. White Physical Education for Progress Act (PEP) in FY 2007 for $100 million.

NASPE urges policymakers, school administrators, teachers and families to join together to provide a balanced and comprehensive education of the whole child for life in the 21^st century.

Youth Sports Participation

Quality youth sport experiences provide important developmental opportunities for children and youth.

Quality sport programs provide a positive, safe and self-enhancing experience for all participants.

Well-qualified coaches are the key to quality sport experiences. It is critically important that coaches know more than Xs and 0s of a sport.

The eight domains of the new second edition of Quality Coaches, Quality Sports: NationalStandards for Sport Coaches are as follows:

• Philosophy and ethics
• Safety and injury prevention
• Physical conditioning
• Growth and development
• Teaching and communications
• Sport skills and tactics
• Organization and Administration
• Evaluation

You can order the coaching standards online at www.aahperd.org or call 1-800-321-0789.

Participation in youth sports and physical activity programs can contribute positively to:

• motor skills
• physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle
• social skills
• self-confidence and self-esteem
• good sporting behavior and fair play
• fun and enjoyment of physical activity.

Positive Physical Education Pledge As a highly-qualified physical education teacher, I pledge to: Establish a positive, safe learning environment for all students; Teach a variety of physical activities that make physical education class fun and enjoyable; Create maximum opportunities for students of all abilities to be successful; Promote student honesty, integrity, and good sportsmanship; Guide students into becoming skillful and confident movers; Facilitate the development and maintenance of physical fitness; Assist students in setting and achieving personal goals; Provide specific, constructive feedback to help students master motor skills; Afford opportunities for students to succeed in cooperative and competitive situations; and Prepare and encourage students to practice skills and be active for a lifetime

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References

1. Hedley, A. A., Ogden, C. L., Johnson, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., & Flegal, K. M. (2004). Overweight and obesity among U.S. children, adolescents, and adults, 1999-2002. Journal of the American Medical Association, 291(23), 2847-2850.
2. Ogden, C. L., Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., & Johnson, C. L. (2002). Prevalence and trends in overweight among U.S. children and adolescents, 1999-2000. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288(14),1728-1732.
3. Freedman, D. S., Khan, L. K., Dietz, W. H., Srinivason, S. R., & Berenson, G. S. (2001). Relationship of childhood obesity to coronary heart disease risk factors in adulthood: The Bogalusa heart study. Pediatrics, 108(3), 712-718.
4. Grunbaum, J. A., Kann, L., Kinchen, S., Ross, J., Hawkins, J., Lowry, R., Harris, W. A., McManus, T., Chyen, D., & Collins, J. (2004). Youth risk behavior surveillance— United States, 2003. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 53(SS-2), 1-95.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). Participation in high school physical education—United States, 1991-2003. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 53(36), 844-847.
6. Burgeson, C. R., Wechsler, H., Brener, N. D., Young, J. C., & Spain, C. G. (2001). Physical education and activity: Results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study, 2000. Journal of School Health, 71(7), 279-293.
7. 7. National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2003). Parents’ views of children’s
8. health & fitness: A summary of results [Executive summary]. Reston, VA: Author.
9. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2003). National poll shows parents and teachers agree on solutions to childhood obesity [News release]. Princeton, NJ: Author.
10. Strong, W. B., Malina, R. M., Bumkie, C. J. R., Daniels, S. R., Dishman, R. K., Gutin, B., Hergenroeder, A. C., Must, A., Nixon, P. A., Pivarnik, J. M., Rowland, T., Trost, S., & Trudeau, F. (2005). Evidence based physical activity for school-age youth. Journal of Pediatrics, 146, 732-737.
11. U.S. Department of Agriculture & U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2000). Nutrition and you health: Dietary guidelines for Americans (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
12. National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2004). Physical activity for children: A statement of guidelines for children ages 5-12 (2nd ed.). Reston, VA: Author.
13. National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2000). Opportunity to learn standards for elementary school physical education. Reston, VA: Author.
14. National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2004). Opportunity to learn standards for middle school physical education. Reston, VA: Author.
15. National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2004). Opportunity to learn standards for high school physical education. Reston, VA: Author.
16. National Association of State Boards of Education. (2000). Fit, healthy, and ready to learn: A school health policy guide. Part 1: Physical activity, healthy eating, and tobacco-use prevention. Alexandria, VA: Author.
17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1997). Guidelines for school and community programs to promote lifelong physical activity among young people. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 46(No. RR-6), 1-36.