Community Inquiry Project- Physical Education

For my community inquiry project, I would like to examine the role and impact of physical education. In schools, I would like to look at the PE programs. Outside of school, I would like to determine what the role of sports/recreational activity plays in the lives of students. In addition, I would like research what physical fitness programs are available for students and what nutritional habits students practice. For those that are not getting enough physical activity and/or not engaging in healthy nutritional practices, I would like to discuss development strategies to improve these patterns.

According to the American Heart Association, "increased physical activity has been associated with an increased life expectancy and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Physical activity produces overall physical, psychological and social benefits. Inactive children are likely to become inactive adults." Physical activity helps with maintaining a healthy weight, increasing levels of good cholesterol, reducing risks of some cancers and type II diabetes, reducing high blood pressure and is associated with improved psychological well-being including gaining more self-confidence and higher self-esteem (americanheart.org).

Some facts about teens and physical activity:
-About half of American youths aged 12-21 are not vigorously active on a regular basis. About 14% of young people report no recent physical activity. Inactivity is more common among females (14%) than males (7%) and among black females (21%) than white females (12%).
-Only 19 percent of all high school students are physically active for 20 minutes or more, five days a week, in physical education classes (medicinenet.com).
Today, obesity is one of the most pressing health concerns for our children. Approximately 25 million children and teens are overweight or obese—and physical inactivity is a leading contributor to the epidemic (Active Education, 2007. http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/activeeducation.pdf).
-Only 36 percent of high school students meet the current recommended levels of
physical activity (Active Education, 2007).
-Budgetary constraints and increasing pressure to improve standardized test scores have caused
school officials to question the value of PE and other physical activity programs. This has led to a reduction in the time available for PE, and the elimination of some or all physical activity programs (Active Education, 2007).


I would like to develop strategies to encourage children and teens to be physically active. First, convincing administrators, teachers, parents, and students that physical activity is important and can enhance overall quality of life is vital to attaining healthy nutritional and fitness patterns. Second, access to physical activity programs in and out of school are necessary in order for students to participate in activities. Promoting physical activity programs and encouraging student involvement will provide numerous benefits for children and teens such as improvements in overall health, academic performance, and self-esteem.

Promoting PE in schools and supporting after school programs related to physical activity is a small way to greatly improve the lives of children/teens. The benefits of physical activity are plentiful. Children in inner city areas should not suffer from lack of PE and or PE programs due to budgetary constraints.