New school standards seek to increase kids’ physical activity

A new set of guidelines to improve children’s health, “Move More: North Carolina’s Recommended Standards for Physical Activity in School,” was released August 26 at Carroll Middle School in Raleigh. The document is the result of a cooperative effort of the N.C. Division of Public Health, N.C. Department of Public Instruction, N.C. Healthy Schools, and N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.

The “Move More” standards are a companion to the “Eat Smart School Standards” released in May 2004. Together, the guidelines seek to combat childhood obesity, establish healthy activity and eating patterns in children, and improve children’s health and well-being.

Students need both physical activity throughout the day and physical education classes to adopt and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. The “Move More School Standards” defines standards for each and provides recommendations on ways students, families, principals, teachers, school staff, school board members, superintendents and community leaders can make school a place that supports and encourages physical activity and physical education.

North Carolina, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing an epidemic of childhood obesity. Between 1995 and 2004, the prevalence of overweight in North Carolina’s children increased 65.3 percent in 2- to 4-year-olds, 62.2 percent in 5- to 11-year-olds and 19.8 percent in 12- to 18-year-olds. The primary causes of premature death and disability among North Carolinians — heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes — are directly linked to poor food choices and sedentary lifestyles, which also cause obesity. Building good activity and nutrition habits in childhood can lead to healthier lifestyles—and reduced risk of chronic diseases—later in life.

Children of all ages need from 60 minutes to several hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, and they need to avoid prolonged periods of inactivity. But only about half of North Carolina middle school children get at least 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity and only one-fourth get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week, according to the state’s 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The survey also found that only 47 percent of North Carolina high school students attended a physical education class at least one day per week. The national average is 56 percent.

“Increased physical activity in school benefits students, the school and the community by improving academic performance as well as reducing the risk for excess weight gain and other chronic health conditions that can affect them for the rest of their lives,” said Dr. Leah Devlin, State Health Director.

The “Move More School Standards” and the companion “Eat Smart School Standards” are posted on the Web at www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com, www.ncpublicschools.org and www.nchealthyschools.org.

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Last Modified: September 1, 2005