Resolution helps in fight of obesity
Monday, March 27, 2006
By MIKE PLAISANCE
SPRINGFIELD - A recent study by school nurses here found 42 percent of students in preschool to grade five were at risk of obesity.
The survey helped persuade the City Council on March 20 to approve a resolution in support of a state Senate bill to increase physical education in grades kindergarten to 12.
"This bill has been put forward because of our obesity epidemic," said Coleen A. Walsh, director of physical education, health and family and consumer sciences.
The bill would require that elementary school students get 30 minutes and middle and high school students get 45 minutes of physical education a day.
Currently, the amount of physical education students get is sporadic. High school students must earn two years, or four half-years, of physical education to graduate, Walsh said.
Most middle school students get two 45-minute physical education classes a week, she said.
The greatest variation occurs in the elementary schools. Depending on the number of students in the school, youngsters get roughly one to four 45-minute periods of physical education a week. Some schools have no physical education teacher, which requires visits from roving instructors, she said.
Obesity is a condition characterized by excessive bodily fat. Excessively overweight young people is a problem nationwide, prompting frequent media reports, and obesity also is an issue in places like England and Australia.
Walsh said school nurses examined 7,564 students from Dec. 1, 2004 to Dec. 1, 2005 using a formula that calculates body weight and height. They determined that 3,158 students, or nearly 42 percent, were at risk of obesity, according to information Walsh gave councilors.
Councilor William T. Foley proposed the resolution because he said there is a connection between a child succeeding academically and physical education, and the numbers in Springfield are discouraging.
"It's a sad situation," Foley said.
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