Do you think schools could do better educating about a healthy lifestyle?

[Andrew Scott]

Now speaking from my experience of coming through the UK education system, I was (with all the others in my PE class) made get into shorts and t-shirts and then the teacher just proceeded to knacker the heck out of us. As far as I can remember it was like that in the 3 elementary schools I was in and the 2 high schools too. There was really no education about diet and exercise.

Now maybe it's changed and the system has been rewrote and they are offering the next gen some classroom time for PE as it does stand for Physical Education and not just Physical Exhaustion.

What do you think? Are schools doing enough? Have they changed?

[Lisa Newton]

Schools have a role to play, and for the most part, they are failing. It's been too long since I was a kid, but my own children's healthy living education was mostly derived from home. Oh, they had PE classes, but as far as exercise that can be used in "real" life, there wasn't too much.

How about a PE class similar to a class at a gym? Step aeorbics? Or yoga? Or just put a great exercise DVD on and follow along? I think the teachers would be surprised at how much the kids might like it.

And how about using the dreaded "homework" word. Give the kids a list of activities to do at home. 25 jumping jacks, 50 sit-ups, 20 push-ups. How about encouraging the family to participate?

With a little imagination, schools could incorporate much more in the way of healthy living..................:)

[SpinDiva]

I agree with Lisa. The only change I've seen is for the worse. I know there's a cost issue with the foods they provide as well as the vending machines (that's a fund raiser). Our kids deserve better than the cheapest of all possible foods. When you offer healthy options kids will learn to eat like that and they will make healthy choices.

As for PE - I'm with you Lisa, there should be some form of chart they keep as homework activity. One of my kids had a teacher that did that and they would get extra credit points or were allowed to eat in a special area of the school or first in line to each lunch, etc... Basically, they had to do 3 hours of physical activity per week and record it on a chart at home. They also had to come up with ideas and share them with other kids. One of the ideas was a jump rope contest and a push up contest. So in order for them to prepare, the kids had to exercise to get better for the grand day. It was a lot of fun.

I am glad the vending machines are out of middle and elementary schools but they still have machines filled with what they call "healthy drinks" however, these things are loaded with sugar--low in fat and just OK in protein, but 46g of sugar-that's a bit much for anyone.

In HS where I have lived They have to have so many PE credits but it's optional what they do and it's only for a short period of time, there's no set PE. When I went to school I had regular PE class three days a week and it changed every semester from Volleyball, gymnastics, dancing, track, basketball, tennis--I got to try it all and eventually became the volley ball team captain and then joined the track team- it was most definitely a boost to my self esteem.

[Susanna]

One of the best indicators of how well a child does in school is the interest of the parents. Schools definitely have a role to play. PE should not just be a place where the kids dress up in shorts and t-shirts and then just roam around aimlessly in the gym. It is should be more structured and the importance of a healthy lifestyle should be taught.

Parents have a role to play as well, and they do have the power to make a difference in the schools. They can inquire the schools about the PE curriculum. They can ask for more health education. It does not take fancy equipment to have a good exercise program, it takes ingenuity and creativity. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want in the world.”

I think it would be great if the schools would devote one day of the week of the PE period to diet education. The remaining four could be on a structured exercise program.

Though my school was weak on diet instruction, I loved how my school did PE. We broke up the year doing various different types of sports and exercises. Four weeks on soccer, four weeks on dance, four weeks on basketball, etc... We even had a segment on aerobic dance. We had to learn the basics of putting together a program, then split off into teams and created our own aerobic dance program that was to last 15 minutes, and the class had to follow. It was a great time.

[David]

Andrew, IMO, there can always be room for improvement in how we teach our children about diet, nutrition and exercise. That being said, the problem as I see it, is that a lot of these kids do not have any significant parent/s that teach them how to do anything responsibly and with accountability.

The test scores are at an all time low, teenage pregnancies are at an all time high, and crime, drug use, and other problems are just being dumped by the parents into the schools making the teachers, essentially, babysitters.

[SpinDiva]

David, aside from my address for how the schools can improve in this area, I do agree completely that it all begins and ends at home. I have only me and my husband to blame if my kids make poor choices when they are in a different environment. So far, both my kids are pretty good at choosing better than most at school and just about anywhere they are--you know portion control, non fried foods, fruits for snacks, etc.

I guess with regards to the question about schools doing more, to me it just feels like sometimes a school can sabotage what good work some parents do at home by having available foods and snacks kids should avoid. An example I have is when my daughter was in 6th grade, the PTA would provide a little snack and drink during the honor roll ceremony. The President at the time thought it was a great idea to go super cheap so her idea of a snack was bear claws (400 cal/22g fat) and a LittleJug juice (all sugar, water and color). These kids are already obese and some suffering from adult diseases such as diabetes and HPB. I took over her job and changed that real fast. The kids learned to like it as well and many of them said thanks for giving them a better option.

As for PE--SOL and the NCLB stuff has teachers busy trying to pass a test just so they can be accredited and meet AYP. Honestly, there is no time in the day to focus on real quality PE so that falls on us parents to do with extra curricular activities that cost money or smart ideas that do not.

[Susan]

This is one of my soap-box issues as childhood obesity is out of control in the US.

According to the 2005 Study by the National Center for Health Statistics, 16 percent of children and adolescents aged six to 19 were overweight. The prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents has doubled and tripled, respectively, over a period of twenty-six years (1976-2002).

As adults, it is our responsibility to take control of this situation and provide our children with the tools they need to make educated decisions, at any age.

While schools participating in USDA's Child Nutrition Programs are mandated to have "school wellness policies", there needs to be cohesion between the educators, school food service personnel and parents, to ensure children aren't receiving mixed messages, both in regards to food choices and physical activity.

[cher]

The lack of nutritonal and healthy lifestyle education in the school systems in central PA here is next to null. They have "gym" one time a week, and sit in the cafeteria for recess for most of the winter. I don't think they are doing enough, and the items on the menu at my childs school makes me want to vomit. Sad when the most nutritious thing on their menu is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.