Physical Education Elimination—A Threat to American Society
According to the American Heart and Stroke Association, 23.9 million citizens are overweight, 12.7 million of these range from the ages two to nineteen. Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic across the world, especially here in the United States. The health of the future America is at stake today; however, changes can be made to reduce these overwhelming numbers. It is the duty and responsibility of the American people to maintain the personal welfare of the United States. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in young children and tripled in adolescents over the past thirty years. There is a continuous struggle on the best way to instill healthy lifestyles in the younger generation today. Undoubtedly, schools play a major role in a child’s development of habits and capabilities. Through school, many lifelong habits are molded and it is no surprise, the feeling of parent obligation to provide safe and healthy opportunities for young children and adolescents. Physical education provides ample opportunities for healthy lifestyles to be encouraged. However, some parents and schools are fighting for the elimination of PE. Many parents have concerns about decreasing learning time in the classroom and bullying that occurs in PE; many schools argue the sole responsibility is to build minds and enrich knowledge. As a nation the battle against weight must be fought before it is too late. Keeping physical education throughout all primary and secondary schooling across the United States could be a big leap in improving the health of future generations of America.
Many student participants of physical education are exposed to bullying. The article “Bullying Keeps Overweight Kids off The Field” on the Science Daily, released in 2006, has shed new light on this specific topic. The University of Florida highlights that overweight children are more often ‘targets of bullies’. Students with lower athletic...