Five years
after releasing the first physical activity
guidelines for children five to 12 years of
age, the National Association for Sport and
Physical Education (NASPE) is increasing the
recommended amount. The first of four new guidelines
recommends at
least 60 minutes, and up to several hours of physical activity per day. This is not surprising given the fact that
inactivity has contributed to the recent obesity
epidemic and sedentary living is a known threat
to health.
"With
escalating obesity and physical inactivity rates
for children, the publicís attention should
now be focused to help schools and families
across the country bring into action these important
guidelines,î said NASPE President George Graham,
Ph.D., of Pennsylvania State University. ìSchools
are critically important to increasing physical
activity of children because school programs
can affect the behavior of ALL children on a
daily basis.”
Lead authors
of the revised Physical Activity for Children:
A Statement of Guidelines for
Children Ages 5-12,
are Drs. Charles B. Corbin and Robert P. Pangrazi
of Arizona State University. The
purpose of this document is to provide parents,
physicians, physical education teachers, classroom
teachers, youth physical activity leaders, school
administrators, and all others dedicated to
promoting physically active lifestyles for children
with guidelines about appropriate physical activity
for pre-adolescent children.
Summary Guidelines
Among the recommendations
are the following:
- Children
should accumulate at least 60 minutes,
and up to several hours, of age appropriate
physical activity on all, or most days of
the week.
- Children
should participate in several bouts of
physical activity lasting 15 minutes or
more each day.
- Children
should participate each day in a variety
of age-appropriate physical activities
designed to achieve optimal health, wellness,
fitness and performance benefits.
- Extended
periods (periods of two hours or more) of
inactivity are discouraged
for children, especially during the daytime
hours.
"To
help bring these guidelines to fruition parents
and schools need to set specific times each
day for physical activity such as a before school
activity, recess, physical education class,
and an activity break after lunch,”said
Charles Corbin. "Within a quality
school physical education program, physical
education teachers should:
- Expose
youngsters to a wide variety of physical
activities
- Teach
physical skills to help maintain lifetime
health and fitness
- Encourage self-monitoring so youngsters
can see how active they are and set their
own goals
- Individualize
intensity of activities
- Focus feedback
on process of doing your best rather than
on product
- Be active role models.
"Perhaps
the single most important time to increase physical
activity and decrease sedentary activities such
as television watching and computer time is
after school between 3 and 6 p.m. This
is a time when children can be active, but often
are not. Many children are inactive during this
time period through no fault of their own.
Parents must help their children find safe and
enjoyable opportunities to be active during
this time period. Unless a special time is set
aside each day, the opportunity to be active
will slip away because barriers to physical
activity are often great.”
When asked
about barriers to promoting physical activity,
the researcher said, "Without any question,
the number one barrier to physical activity
in schools is the perception that time spent
in activity such as physical education and recess
will undermine academic learning. The
evidence does not support this assumption. We
now know is that making time for physical education
and physical activity does not reduce academic
learning and it may actually increase it.
"Our
research shows that children who are physically
active during the day in school are much more
likely to be physically active after school
as well. Energy begets energy! The more
fit and alert adults feel the better they perform.
This is also true for children.î
Corbin
said, "The bottom line is that sedentary
living contributes to obesity and chronic diseases
later in life. Starting the activity habit
early in life is crucial. Children need
at least 60 minutes and up to several hours
of activity daily. It can be accumulated
in many short (15 minutes minimum) intermittent
bouts of activity and need not be done in continuous
exercise periods that are appropriate for adults.
Long periods of inactivity (more than two hours
in length) are discouraged.”
To order
a copy of the new physical activity guidelines,
visit the online bookstore at www.aahperd.org
or call 1-800-321-0789. The cost is $12
for NASPE/AAHPERD members, and $16 for non-members.
Stock number is 304-10276.
Information
about the National Association for Sport and
Physical Education (NASPE) can be found on the
Internet at www.naspeinfo.org. NASPE, the largest of the six national associations
of the American Alliance for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), is
a nonprofit membership organization of over
18,000 professionals in the fitness and physical
activity fields. NASPE is the only national
association dedicated to strengthening basic
knowledge about sport and physical education
among professionals and the general public.
Putting that knowledge into action in schools
and communities across the nation is critical
to improved academic performance, social reform
and the health of individuals.
Reprinted
with permission from the National Association
for Sport and Physical Education www.naspeinfo.org
