Every individual is well aware of how beneficial physical activity is to the overall health; from medical point of view, it helps in improving the circulation of blood and also the flow of blood to the brain; with this the level of endorphin improves that helps in reducing the level of stress of a human body. So, overall, it can be concluded that with physical education, the students can remain calm and free of stress which helps them to remain mentally and physically active to achieve more in academics too. Many researchers and theorists have conducted studies to demonstrate the impact of physical education on the performance of the students at school. As compared to what was believed earlier, it has been found that integrating physical activity into the curriculum of the education helps in enhancing the level of concentration of the students, reduces the chances of behavioral disruptions and specially improves the scores within the test of math, reading and writing (Satcher 26-30).
Another research found that when students participate in the programs for physical activity the result is an “improved rate of academic learning per unit of class time” (Taras 220-227). There is no negative effect on the student scores when the time spent of physical education is increased to some extent. It has been recommended by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education that “School physical education programs provide a context for regular and structured physical activity and serve as a means for the government to intervene and improve the health of America’s children” (Fairclough and Stratton 14--23).
One of the epidemics of the modern age is the obesity in children; within the last three decades, there has been a devastating increase in the obese children. During the time period of 1980 to 2008, the children obesity rate has risen from 6.5% to 19.6% in ages 6-11;and for all the age groups below 18years, the rate of obesity has tripled in 28 years (Allen and Shannon Carney et al.). Among the adolescents, the rate of obesity varies between 16 and 33 percent; the areas like Tennessee, Kentucky, Delaware and West Virginia have an obesity rate greater than 20 percent. Obesity in children is a highly dangerous step towards many psychological and social problems along with drastic medical affects too like expecting a high cholesterol, joint problems, high blood pressure, and even sleep apnea.
There are many reasons due to which childhood obesity is spreading like an epidemic like the choice of food, intake of fast food, family history, poor calorie count and spending more time in front of the TV; but no matter what reason, the issue remains the same that physical activity of the children has reduced a lot. Many schools still think that physical activity is not a critical component to be included in the school curriculum (Bailey and Armour et al. 1--27). It is in the interest of the whole nation to include physical education as a mandatory education in schools.
Not only this, the studies have also found that the physical education in schools also raises the level of cognition in students; a study identified that when a physical education was followed by memorizing a list, the memory storage was enhanced whether it was after team game or aerobic training (Pesce and Crova et al. 16--22). Another study indicated that a 30-min single program of physical education had better impacts on cognitive flexibility, working memory and also the behavioral tendencies of children as compared to a 5-min movement break (Kubesch and Walk et al. 235--242).
Including physical education in the schools at an early age is also said to have impact on the body mass index of the children; having a 75 mins of activity integrated in the curriculum would result in easing and reducing the body mass index of the children (Donnelly and Greene et al. 336--341). But more important is the fact that mandating the physical education in the schools would develop a habit in the children to take part in the physical activities at an early age and their chances of getting obese would be reduced to some extent (Harris and Kuramoto et al. 719--726).
National Association for Sports and Physical Education has clearly stated that the education of a child is incomplete without incorporating physical education in it; it not only contributes to developing the fitness and physical competence of the individual but also raises the patterns of academic learning. In particular, integration of physical education at the elementary level ensures promoting and developing the basic skills of manipulation, locomotive and non-locomotive skills. In addition, the child develops awareness and various motor skills when the movement frame is understood. I personally have experienced many issues due to this problem.
Developing a habit for physical activity at early age not only enhances the social, cognitive and physical skills of the child but also raises the chances of participation in such activities in the future ("Physical Education is Critical to a Complete Education"). Moving in age and reaching the middle school, the child faces lots of pressures and the growth in the pre-adolescent years also affects the mood of the child. Ensuring physical education programs at this time also leads to developing the interest of the students in exploring the after-school opportunities for competitive physical programs.
Actually it is the Olympic legacy which can be maintained by incorporating physical education in schools. The government has to play a positive role in promoting school sports; but recently it was found that government plans on cutting the funding for the school sports which would of course lead to a reduction in the participation of children in extra-curricular as well as curricular sports (Walker). Not only is it eliminating the chance of raising a new athlete for the future but also exposing the children in schools to more obesity related diseases. Physical education is a must in the schools and has become a need for the nation to focus on this issue.
Works cited
Allen, Annabelle, Chri Shannon Carney, Marie Jackman and Krysia Pohl. "Childhood Obesity in America Today." (2013): Print.
Bailey, Richard, Kathleen Armour, David Kirk, Mike Jess, Ian Pickup, S, Rachel Ford and BERA Physical Education. "The educational benefits claimed for physical education and school sport: an academic review." Research Papers in Education, 24. 1 (2009): 1--27. Print.
Donnelly, Joseph E, Jerry L Greene, Cheryl A Gibson, Bryan K Smith, Richard A Washburn, Debra K Sullivan, Katrina Dubose, Matthew S Mayo, Kristin H Schmelzle, Joseph J Ryan and Others. "Physical Activity Across the Curriculum (PAAC): a randomized controlled trial to promote physical activity and diminish overweight and obesity in elementary school children." Preventive medicine, 49. 4 (2009): 336--341. Print.
"Physical Education is Critical to a Complete Education." Education.com, 2007. Web. 10 Dec 2013. <http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Physical_Education/>.
Fairclough, Stuart and Gareth Stratton. "‘Physical education makes you fit and healthy’. Physical education's contribution to young people's physical activity levels." Health education research, 20. 1 (2005): 14--23. Print.
Harris, Kevin C, Lisa K Kuramoto, Michael Schulzer and Jennifer E Retallack. "Effect of school-based physical activity interventions on body mass index in children: a meta-analysis." Canadian Medical Association Journal, 180. 7 (2009): 719--726. Print.
Kubesch, Sabine, Laura Walk, Manfred Spitzer, Thomas Kammer, Alyona Lainburg, R"Udiger Heim and Katrin Hille. "A 30-Minute Physical Education Program Improves Students' Executive Attention." Mind, Brain, and Education, 3. 4 (2009): 235--242. Print.
Pesce, Caterina, Claudia Crova, Lucio Cereatti, Rita Casella and Mario Bellucci. "Physical activity and mental performance in preadolescents: Effects of acute exercise on free-recall memory." Mental Health and Physical Activity, 2. 1 (2009): 16--22. Print.
Satcher, D.. "Healthy and ready to learn: Research shows that nutrition and physical activity affect student academic achievement." Educational Leadership, 63. 1 (2005): 26-30. Print.
Taras, H.. "Physical activity and student performance at school." Journal of School Health, 75. 6 (2013): 220-227. Print.
Walker, Nathan. "The Olympic legacy: schools sports needs funding not rhetoric." The Guardian. 28th Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Dec 2013. <http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2013/jan/28/olympic-legacy-school-sports-need-funding>.
