High schools may see lower P.E. requirement

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Despite studies showing the obesity rate among children and teenagers in Hawai'i to be a serious concern, the state Department of Education is considering reducing the physical education requirement from one year to one semester in public high schools.

A committee wants the semester to be used for academic requirements instead of P.E. and will propose the change to the state Board of Education on Nov. 22.

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. surgeon general have called for daily physical education from kindergarten through high school, but only two states — Illinois and New Jersey — have such a requirement.

Hawai'i falls among the bulk of the states mandating only a year of P.E. in high school, a standard that hasn't changed here in decades. And with schools under increasing pressure to improve students' academic performance, subjects such as physical education and the arts are being reduced or eliminated at schools nationwide.

But in a state where more than 26 percent of students in public schools are considered obese, the proposed reduction in physical education has sparked opposition from high school physical education teachers and athletic directors.

It has generated such concern that a committee recently formed by medical professionals at the Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children met last week to discuss the state's obesity problem.

"Some people think when you have physical education that's taking away from academics, and that's just not true," said Dan Yahata, P.E. specialist for the DOE. "P.E. is so important. In fact, we should increase the amount of P.E. offered to students to ensure they have the opportunities to develop attitudes and behaviors that will allow them to be physically active as adults."

The DOE realizes the importance of physical education, said spokesman Greg Knudsen. "(But) it's a matter of how you fit everything in," he said. "And that's always a problem."

The DOE has tried to provide healthier options in high schools by creating walking trails and adding water and milk to vending machines.

Even if the P.E. requirement is reduced students will still have opportunities to participate in physical activity. They can take P.E. as one of their six electives, join fitness-related organizations such as hiking clubs, or play a club or varsity sport.

But if P.E. becomes a requirement for only a semester, students will have to seek out physical activity on their own.

Many students won't — some because of academic needs, some because of the hassle of changing into and out of P.E. clothes, and still others because they just aren't interested in physical activity.

"I couldn't fit (P.E. as an elective) into my schedule," said John Morton, a senior at Kailua High. "Colleges require other classes and I don't have the time."

The board will also consider reducing the requirement for social studies from four credits to three and eliminating the semester of guidance to free up two credits to go toward either career and technical education, fine arts or world languages.

Yahata said there are other solutions that don't involve cutting back physical education, such as increasing the number of credits required to graduate.

Physical education experts argue that one semester isn't enough time to teach students lifelong habits of healthy living.

"To teach kids how to be physically active, how to set goals, what they could do in their leisure time isn't something you can teach in 10 weeks or even a year," said Julienne Maeda, assistant professor of kinesiology and leisure science at the University of Hawai'i. "That's not enough time — for any subject. And every subject is important ... A quality P.E. program can provide a balance in kids' lives."

A study released in March showed the obesity rate of Hawai'i's schoolchildren to be twice the national average of 13 to 14 percent, or approximately 48,000 students statewide who would be considered obese.

Dennis Chai, an associate professor at UH who co-authored the study, suspects the state's weak physical education requirements, along with poor nutrition, medical and lifestyle habits, are reasons why efforts to lower obesity rates have been unsuccessful.

"Everybody knows that everybody needs physical activity on a regular basis," he said. "If we could train kids earlier to be physically active, they will have the appreciation and skills to maintain physical activity through their lifetime."

The health risks of obesity — diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol — are reasons why many P.E. teachers are shocked at the proposed reduction.

"It's crazy," said Denise Darval-Chang, P.E. teacher at Kailua High. "Just because something like this doesn't show up on SAT scores doesn't mean it's not important."

Some recent studies seem to illustrate the problem:

• Nearly half of young people age 12 to 21 do not regularly engage in vigorous physical activity, according to the CDC.
• Poor eating habits and lack of physical activity are associated with about 300,000 deaths per year, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reported last month.
• Close to 9 million children and teens nationwide are overweight, another study showed.

Kristin Patterson, a senior at Kailua High, realizes the importance of being physically active. An avid soccer player, she said she feels more energized after P.E. class.

"It's a good break in the day," Patterson said. "It's good to do something other than school work."

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education reports that more high schools require daily physical activity now than in 1995, but says the increase is disappointingly slow.

And the association's findings echo the beliefs of Hawai'i P.E. advocates, saying that the benefits of physical education go beyond students' physical activity patters to affect academic learning as well. The healthy, physically active student is more likely to be academically motivated, alert and successful, the association said.

Richard Townsend, longtime athletic director at Leilehua High, said he has seen it in action.

"Kids come to P.E., work out, then go back to class feeling much better," Townsend said. "Athletics has to go along with academics."