Gym requirement might not be enough to fight obesity

CHICAGO — The gym at Eberhart Elementary School has several basketball hoops and a large climbing wall.

But for much of the day, the gym doubles as a cafeteria where the 1,800-plus students are offered breakfast and lunch. And time and space limitations mean each class gets physical education just once a week for 40 minutes.

In the fight against childhood obesity, getting kids moving is one of the most effective ways. But only Illinois and Massachusetts require P.E. classes for all kids in kindergarten through 12th grade. And, as Eberhart’s example shows, even those requirements sometimes are not enough.

Illinois first adopted P.E. requirements in 1915. The state has been mandating physical education for all grades since 1957.

But those rules have not prevented Illinois kids from getting heavier. An estimated 20.7 percent of 10- to 17-year-olds in Illinois are obese, according to a 2007 survey released last month by the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. That’s the fourth-highest rate in the country, behind only Mississippi, Georgia and Kentucky.

Experts recommend 30 minutes of daily physical education for elementary school students, and 45 minutes for those in junior high and high school.

But in a recent CDC study, less than 4 percent of elementary schools, less than 8 percent of middle schools and just over 2 percent of high schools required daily P.E. for all students for the entire school year.

Having P.E. "even twice a week would make a world of difference,” said Betty Hale, one of two P.E. teachers at Eberhart. "Exercise is just as important as sitting down and learning their math, their science, their reading.”



by the associated press