National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

EDUCATING THE
STUDENT BODY

Taking Physical Activity and
Physical Education to School

Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education
in the School Environment

Food and Nutrition Board

Harold W. Kohl III and Heather D. Cook, Editors

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
            OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS   500 Fifth Street, NW   Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Grant No. 69449 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 0-978-0-309-28313-7

International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-28313-2

Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at: www.iom.edu.

Copyright 2013 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost all cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent adopted as a logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient Greece, now held by the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.

Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2013. Educating the student body: Taking physical activity and physical education to school. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.

—Goethe

image

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advising the Nation. Improving Health.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

COMMITTEE ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

HAROLD W. KOHL III (Chair), Professor of Epidemiology and Kinesiology, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences, Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, and Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin

DARLA M. CASTELLI, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin

ANG CHEN, Professor, Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

AMY A. EYLER, Assistant Professor, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Program of Public Health, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri

SCOTT GOING, Interim Department Head and Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, and Director, Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition, University of Arizona, Tucson

JAYNE D. GREENBERG, District Director, Physical Education and Health Literacy, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Florida

CHARLES H. HILLMAN, Professor, Departments of Kinesiology and Community Health, Psychology, and Internal Medicine, Affiliate of the Neuroscience Program, Division of Nutritional Sciences, and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PHILIP R. NADER, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego

KENNETH E. POWELL, Retired Chief, Chronic Disease, Injury, and Environmental Epidemiology Section, Division of Public Health, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Atlanta

LEAH E. ROBINSON, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Auburn University, Alabama

EMMA SANCHEZ-VAZNAUGH, Assistant Professor, Health Education Department, San Francisco State University, California

SANDY SLATER, Research Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago

NICOLAS STETTLER, Senior Managing Scientist, Health Sciences Center for Chemical Regulation and Food Safety, Exponent, Washington, DC

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

GAIL WOODWARD-LOPEZ, Associate Director, Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley

Study Staff

HEATHER DEL VALLE COOK, Study Director

LYNN PARKER, Scholar

EMILY ANN MILLER, Program Officer (until January 2013)

SARAH ZIEGENHORN, Research Assistant (from January 2013)

ALLISON BERGER, Senior Program Assistant

ANTON L. BANDY, Financial Associate

GERALDINE KENNEDO, Administrative Assistant

LINDA D. MEYERS, Director, Food and Nutrition Board

Consultant

TERRY T-K HUANG, Professor and Chair, Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Andy Bindman, University of California, San Francisco

James F. Bogden, National School Boards Association

Catherine L. Davis, Georgia Regents University

Russell R. Pate, University of South Carolina

Stephen J. Pont, Seton Healthcare Family, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, University of Texas Southwestern, Austin Programs

Judith E. Rink, University of South Carolina

Stephen W. Sanders, University of South Florida

Cary R. Savage, University of Kansas Medical Center

Mark B. Stephens, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Katherine T. Thomas, University of North Texas, Denton

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the report’s conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Connie M. Weaver, Purdue University, and Caswell A. Evans, Jr., University of Illinois at Chicago. Appointed by the Institute of Medicine, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

Preface

Physical activity is central to health, and its importance clearly extends beyond its role in achieving energy balance to prevent and treat obesity and overweight. Adequate daily physical activity improves cardiovascular health, metabolic health, brain and mental health, and musculoskeletal health—benefits that recent research shows are gained across the life span. Important emerging research has further focused on the association between physical activity in youth and academic achievement.

Clinical and public health guidelines indicate that youth need a minimum of 60 minutes per day of vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical activity to optimize health and development. Because many youth spend a substantial amount of time in school, this report focuses specifically on the role schools can play in increasing physical activity among youth and providing opportunities to meet these guidelines. This role falls squarely within schools’ long-standing tradition of providing access to health-related services such as health screenings, nutrition programs, and immunizations.

The assumption that school-based physical education can provide enough physical activity for children and adolescents has recently been challenged on a variety of fronts. First, the 60 minutes per day of physical activity that is health enhancing is nearly impossible to achieve through physical education, even with the highest-quality physical education curriculum. Second, quality physical education must include time for teaching activities and lessons that may not be physically active. Third, political and economic pressures on education systems to improve standardized test scores have had the unintended consequence of reducing or eliminating physical education curricula and thus students’ opportunities for physical

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

activity. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to highlight the central need not only to provide quality physical education for all youth but also to implement other evidence-informed methods schools can use to help all children and adolescents attain a minimum of 60 minutes of vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical activity per day to improve health, development, and academic performance. Many different constituents—including federal, state, district, and school administrators; teachers; parents; and all those interested in the health, development, and academic achievement of youth—must be reached with the message that such a whole-of-school approach to physical activity is needed.

Many people contributed to the successful completion of this project. First, the committee thanks Tina Kauh and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for supporting the study and the development of this report. The committee also wishes to thank participants in a public workshop held in September 2012 to gather expert opinion on this topic from leaders in the field: Michael Beets, Ph.D.; Becky Ciminillo; Don Disney, M.S., M.A.; Joseph Donnelly, Ed.D.; Erin Donoghue, M.Ed.; David Dzewaltowski, Ph.D.; Gillian Hotz, Ph.D.; Dolly Lambdin, Ed.D.; Melissa Maitin-Shepard, M.P.P.; Noreen McDonald, Ph.D.; Thomas McKenzie, Ph.D.; Lisa Perry, M.Ed; Shellie Pfohl, M.S.; Abby Rose, M.Ed., M.A.; and Jennifer A. Weber, M.P.H., R.D. In addition, in December 2012, Katrina L. Butner, Ph.D., spoke with the committee during an open session, and we would like to thank her for her time.

I am most grateful to the volunteer expert committee members who so graciously gave time from their busy schedules to contribute to the completion of this task over such a short time period. The efforts of each member were extraordinary. Further, I appreciate the extensive consultative guidance from Terry T-K Huang, Ph.D., M.P.H., C.P.H., of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Huang’s understanding of systems thinking helped shape the committee’s approach and this report in an innovative way.

This work could not have been completed without the outstanding support and guidance of the dedicated Institute of Medicine (IOM) staff, including Heather Del Valle Cook, study director; Lynn Parker, scholar; Emily Ann Miller, program officer; Sarah Ziegenhorn, research assistant; Allison Berger, senior program assistant; Sarah Sliwa, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow; and Linda Meyers, director of the IOM Food and Nutrition Board. Finally, the report greatly benefited from the copyediting skills of Rona Briere. I am grateful to each of these individuals for their patience and focus during the study process.


Harold W. Kohl III, Chair                                  
Committee on Physical Activity and Physical
Education in the School Environment              

Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R12
Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R13
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18314.
×
Page R14
Next: Summary »
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $59.00 Buy Ebook | $47.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic.

The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents.

Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed.

This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!