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Renee McInarnay
OAK GROVE LOWER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Zip Code: 39402
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Page Last Updated Jan 09, 2011
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 Coach Mac's Corner

What the Studies Show: U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Obesity
  • Nearly half the young people 12-21 years of age are not vigorously active, moreover, physical activity sharply declines during adolescence. Childhood may thus be a pivotal time for preventing sedentary behavior among adults by maintaining the habit of physical activity throughout school years. Every effort should be made to encourage schools to require daily physical education in each grade to promote physical activities that can be enjoyed throughout life.
  • Over twenty million children are overweight by an average of 8.3 pounds.
  • Childhood obesity has tripled since 1980.
  • One in six American children are classified as physically underdeveloped.
  • More than half the girls and one quarter of the boys ages 6-17 cannot run a mile faster than walking.
  • Seventy percent of girls in this age group cannot do more than one pull up, and fifty five percent of the boys cannot do even one.
  • Forty percent of American children aged 5-8 years show one or more risk factors of heart disease including: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and low cardiovascular endurance.

This lack of fitness and health awareness in children contributes to many problems cited by schoolteachers. Examples cited include, but are not limited to:

  • Lack of self-esteem in children, which contributes to poor choices.
  • Aggressive behavior in children, which contributes to classroom disruptions and playground fights.
  • Experimenting with unsafe diet practices (fasting, diet pills, anabolic steroids).

News articles in publications such as Newsweek, Fat for Life?, Generation XXL

  • The Government estimates 6 million American children are now fat enough to endanger their health
  • An additional 5 million are on the threshold and the problem is growing even more extreme as it becomes more widespread.
  • Ten years ago the medical community found that type 2 Diabetes did not occur until after 40 years of age; now, 30% of pediatric patients are type 2.

In addition, every year over 930,000 Americans suffer heart attacks. These adults were fitter as children than our children are today. Heart disease is this nation's number one killer, with one in four Americans showing risk factors. Furthermore, the obesity epidemic has become a critical health problem, second only to tobacco. These are preventable health problems, which are costing taxpayers over $100 billion per year.

U.S. Surgeon General's Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative

Today, 12.5 million children are overweight in the United States—more than 17 percent. Overweight children are at greater risk for many serious health problems. This initiative promotes the importance of healthy eating and physical activity at a young age to help prevent overweight and obesity in this country.

To ensure a healthy future for America's children, we must—

  • Help Kids Stay Active
  • Encourage Healthy Eating Habits
  • Promote Healthy Choices
In 2010 our school was awarded two grants - Physical Best and Project Fit, to help fight obesity in our school. We send home fitness reports with our students.
Physical Best
Physical Best is a comprehensive health-related fitness education program developed by physical educators for physical educators that focuses on:

  • Educating all children regardless of athletic talent, physical and mental abilities or disabilities
  • Moving students from dependence to independence for their own fitness and health
  • Promoting regular, enjoyable physical activity

The Physical Best program of the National Association for Sport and Physical
Education (NASPE) is a health-related fitness education program for use in
conjunction with K-12 physical education curricula. The purpose of Physical Best
is to assist physical educators in teaching health-related fitness education, through
quality resources and professional development training, with a focus on teaching
cognitive concepts and knowledge through activity, enjoyment of physical activity,
and inclusiveness of all children.

Why Physical Best?

  • Inclusive by providing developmentally appropriate activities for different ages and abilities
  • Personal by focusing on each child's individual preferences and capabilities
  • Criterion-referenced focusing on guidelines for health and personal improvement rather than attaining unrealistic performance based standards
  • Teaches cognitive knowledge THROUGH activity
  • Promotes a lifestyle of physical activity
  • Created by teachers for teachers
  • The program is a result of the work of practitioners who have used the activities and teaching methods in the classroom.
  • A committee of NASPE members guides the ongoing development of the program.

All of these characteristics combined with FITNESSGRAM form a comprehensive program that provides one-stop shopping for physical activity, nutrition education, and assessment in fitness education.

Standards:

The Physical Best philosophy and activities can be infused throughout any physical education curriculum. Physical Best is: linked to national education standards (NASPE, AAHE, NDA); provides accountability for educators by tying to national standards; is a K-12 program with resources and training appropriate to every grade level.

What is FITNESSGRAM?

FITNESSGRAM is a health-related physical fitness assessment and computerized reporting system.
It was developed in 1982 by leading scientists in physical activity and fitness assessment at The Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas.
It is the assessment component and complement to the Physical Best program.

What are the FITNESSGRAM test items?

  • Aerobic Capacity (select one)
    • The Pacer - a 20 meter progressive, multi-stage shuttle run set to music
    • One Mile Walk/Run
    • Walk Test - available for secondary students
  • Body Composition (select one)
    • Percent Body Fat - calculated from triceps and calf skinfold measurements
    • Body Mass Index - calculated from height and weight 
  • Muscle Strength, Endurance, and Flexibility
    • Abdominal Strength, 
    • Curl-up Test Trunk Extensor
    • Strength and Flexibility ,
    • Trunk Lift Upper Body Strength (select one)
      • 90 degree Push-up
      • Flexed Arm Hang
      • Modified Pull-up
    • Flexibility (select one)
      • Back-saver
      • Sit-and-reach
      • Shoulder Stretch

What distinguishes FITNESSGRAM from other fitness assessments?
FITNESSGRAM uses objective criterion standards to evaluate fitness performance rather than using norms. These standards have been set to indicate levels of fitness necessary for good health and are established for each age and gender.
Does not include assessment items that are more related to skill and athletic performance. Software application produces very attractive report for parents to communicate the results of the assessments.

2010 Project Fit America Grant Recipients
 
Who is Project Fit America?
Project Fit America (PFA) is a national non-profit public charity dedicated to getting kids fit. PFA donates to schools, grades K-12, fully funded cardiovascular health and lifetime fitness education programs. Formed in 1990 as a (501) (c) (3) corporation, PFA donates 75 cents of each dollar received to schools for the sole purpose of developing exemplary model schools for cardiovascular health and fitness.

The vast majority of our  sponsors have been hospitals and healthcare organizations.   Since our founding sponsorship drive we have generated over $9,700,000.  As of the close of 2009 this has resulted in the development of exemplary programs for fitness in education in over 700 schools in 300 cities and 40 states. 

Under our health umbrella we address self-esteem, smoking intervention, fitness as fun, exercise and understanding your body. Our function is to reverse the lack of fitness in youth and teach children to take personal responsibility for their health. Our objective is to give children a positive relationship with their bodies, as a deterrent to the at-risk choices, which face our youth, as they grow older. In addition, the program helps teachers to diffuse aggressive behavior in children through physical activities that cause the children to be more inclined to sit, listen and learn in the classroom.

History of PFA:

PFA was established twenty years ago and is unique in that all of our sponsors have been hospitals, healthcare agencies, and/or health conscious corporations.

The PFA program is designed to be a permanent program in each school developed, as the need to get children fit will never diminish. PFA will work with your sponsorship to fully train the teaching staff and fully integrate the program in the school curriculum. At the end of the program, the school will be able to run PFA without any outside intervention. Your school(s) will join the other 700+ PFA schools across the country that use PFA well beyond the two year sponsorship as part of their regular school day activities. Years from now, when you pass the by the school(s), you will see PFA in action.

 


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