Quote 2

The quote, “Schools have great opportunities to help pupils to learn how to promote health and minimize the risk of acquiring a chronic disease. Providing a healthy structure to their day should enable them to develop healthier lifestyles that may track in adulthood,” was given by Maureen Dobbins, who is lead researcher at the School of Nursing in Ontario, Canada. When I read the article, “School based physical activity: Has benefits even if it doesn’t help lose weight” in the NewsRX magazine, I strongly agreed with Dobbins. She is behind research that shows school based programs gave students time to exercise, and found school programs also gave them motivation from the teachers and available materials. I am someone who wants to see schools getting more involved with student’s health. School teaches a range of life lessons from home economics to computers, but does not spend much time focusing on classes that promote and teach healthy lifestyles. Sure health classes and gym classes are usually required, but why not teach students as part of their daily routine. For example, allowing elementary aged students to go out for recess will get them excited to play, and become more physically active outside school, because they have so much fun being active at school. Teachers could share healthy tips on nutritional information, and the importance of staying in a healthy weight range. Schools should not try to scare or force the students into learning more about their health, but should make it fun and do it regularly. This way, students can feel comfortable about taking better care of themselves, and hopefully would turn physical activity into a daily routine.