Katie Bruggman

B. Peppard

English A 

September 29, 2007

Keeping Fit from a Young Age

            Obesity is one of the leading killers of people in the United States. An estimated 365,000 deaths have been attributed to obesity in 2005 alone, becoming number 7 in the leading causes of preventable death (4). Sadly, 30 percent of all children in the U.S are overweight and will grow up to become obese adults (5), becoming nothing short of an epidemic. Obesity is completely preventable and action should be taken to lower these numbers.

             Being overweight is a serious detriment to children's self esteem. It can affect the way they socialize and can cause serious health problems. There is a way that the obesity epidemic can be stopped. All children should be enrolled into sports or physical education programs starting at age five. Sports participation has numerous benefits to physical, mental and social development.

Participating in sports and physical education programs has numerous physical benefits for children. If a child develops healthy habits when he or she is young, they are more likely to carry these habits into adulthood and will reduce the possibility of becoming an obese adult. Studies conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown that about 15 percent of children and adolescents can be labeled as having pediatric obesity in the U.S. (1), nearly triple the rates of obesity 30 years ago. Obesity can greatly shorten a person's long term life span by causing many health problems such as heart and cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol.  All of these diseases were once considered exclusively adult diseases. Now more children are being diagnosed with these health problems. If sports and physical education problems were pressed onto young children, the disease rate could possibly be lowered by half. Through physical activity, children can improve heart and muscle strength, which lowers the risk of getting these diseases and improve their overall health.

            Along with the physical benefits, mental benefits can come from sports and physical education programs as well. There is strong evidence that there is an association between cardiovascular fitness and mental fitness. Studies with elementary school children point to a strong relationship between academic achievement and fitness scores. One study found that physically fit children recognized visual stimuli faster than non-fit children. These benefits can also be carried onto adulthood. Physical exercise helps reduce an age-related decline in cognitive function, and may possibly prevent or delay dementia (3). One study in young adults in 2001 found that following a 12 week regimen of jogging for 30 minutes two to three times a week, young adults drastically improved their performance on a number of cognitive tests. When the participants stopped their running routine, the scores fell again. Increased oxygen flow to the brain may have been behind the improvement in mental sharpness. In addition, physical fitness benefits people of all ages by reducing stress levels. Children and adults who remain active with physical fitness programs feel less overwhelmed and can sleep better at night (6). Physical education and sports programs can help children's mental health throughout their life.
            Furthermore, sports and physical education programs benefit children's social development. Sports help teach children how to socialize, communicate and be fair to other children. When playing a sport, they must communicate their game plans and strategies to one another which teaches them cooperate with other children. Eventually, the children develop friendships with each other on their teams or in their classes which benefits them socially at school or at home. In addition, overweight children are prone to low self-esteem (2). Since they cannot be as physically agile as some of their skinnier peers on the playground, they often get teased, bullied, and rejected by their peers. An overweight child may not be as outgoing as his or her peers and are less likely try out for functions such as the school play in fear of being teased. Moreover, sports programs teach children the valuable lesson of working hard to achieve their goals. Later on in life they can apply these techniques in school and eventually in the work force.

            In summary, children benefit physically, mentally and socially from sports and physical education programs. Enrollment in a program early in life results increased sense of self esteem, reduces risk of serious diseases that plague obese children, and aids in the development of social skills. Being physically fit helps children set higher goals and aspirations as well as teaches them to work hard to obtain those goals. If sports and physical education programs were reinstated in the school systems, this country would actually have some hope of reducing the high rate of obesity in the younger generation, in addition to lowering the risk of diseases related to being over weight in future adults.

Works Cited

1. Obesity in America. The Endocrine Society and Hormonal Foundation. 20 Sept. 2007 <http://www.obesityinamerica.org/childhoodoverweight.html>.
2. Kids Health for Parents. The Nemours Foundation. 20 Sept. 2007 <http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/food/weight/overweight_obesity.html>.
3. Memory Key. McPherson, Fiona. 2000-2007. <http://www.memory-key.com/Articles/exercise.htm>.
4. "Obesity Death Rate Lower than Thought." www.foxnews.com 20 Apr. 2005. <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,153944,00.html>.
5. "Obesity Will Reduce Life Expectancy Gains." www.CNN.com  16 Mar. 2005. <http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/diet.fitness/03/16/obesity.longevity.ap/>
6. Naimsadeh, Sarah. "How to deal with Stress productively." 7 Jan. 2002. <http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f00/web3/naimzadeh3.html>

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