It’s no secret that obesity is currently a hot topic across the entire country, particularly as it relates to our nation’s youth. According to the American Heart Association, about one in three American children and teens is overweight or obese, which is nearly triple the statistics of 1963. Here at Cedar Hill Prep, we believe that schools have a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on those numbers, and it isn’t a task we take lightly.
The first step to battling the obesity epidemic in American classrooms is to start providing students with healthier lunches that will sustain them throughout their day. In addition to a healthy balanced diet, we also believe that physical education is extremely important and should be mandatory all five days of the school week. Not only does this give children a great opportunity to exercise, but it directly helps to reduce and even prevent obesity. For some children, the physical education offered at school may be the only physical exercise they ever get.
As with all other areas of study, Cedar Hill Prep consistently stays ahead of industry trends and advances to offer our children the best of what’s out there, and physical education is no exception. Physical education has come a long way over the years, and where we may have played dodgeball and other games, there is now a much greater focus on physical fitness. At Cedar Hill Prep, our children get to participate in a number of varied activities like navigating low-ropes courses, climbing rock walls, and even trust-building activities.
While some may believe children are too young to have a comprehensive understanding of anatomy and nutrition, we believe it’s never too early for children to have a clear understanding of the way their bodies work. By teaching children and teens about muscle development and nutrition, they can learn early on that staying active and paying attention to what they put into their bodies has a great impact on their health.
The reason physical education is such an important part of your child’s school week isn’t just because of his or her overall health. There have been multiple studies which show that physical education is directly tied to a child’s overall academic performance. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated, “The academic success of America’s youth is strongly linked with their health.” The CDC has highlighted several scientific reviews which document how school health programs can have positive effects, not only on health-risk behaviors and health outcomes, but on educational outcomes as well.1
Sources:
Freudenberg N, Ruglis J. Reframing school dropout as a public health issue . Preventing Chronic Disease 2007;4(4):A107.
Muenning P, Woolf SH. Health and economic benefits of reducing the number of students per classroom in US primary schools. American Journal of Public Health 2007;97:2020–2027.
