HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

15

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

Requesting the department of education to require at least one hundred fifty minutes of physical activity, physical education, or exercise each week for elementary school students, require after-school programs to offer physical activity opportunities, encourage schools and communities to adopt safe routes to school programs, and conduct an assessment of school Physical activity facilities.

 

WHEREAS, research suggests that children today are less physically active and more overweight or obese than those of previous generations, with a significant number of children growing up to become overweight adults; and

WHEREAS, low levels of physical activity are characteristic of overweight children; and

WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a sedentary lifestyle almost doubles one's risk for coronary heart disease and increases risks for diabetes, certain cancers, high blood pressure, depression, and osteoporosis; and

WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that early intervention with improved diet and increased physical activity may be the most effective means for addressing the problem of overweight children; and

WHEREAS, young children need conducive environments to learn to be physically active in their daily lives, and physical activity, education, and exercise play a critical role in the education of a whole student, contributing directly to the development of physical competence and fitness, thereby building self-esteem; and

WHEREAS, a healthy, physically active child is also more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful; and

WHEREAS, physical education can serve as a vehicle for helping students develop the knowledge, attitudes, motor skills, behavioral skills, and confidence necessary for adopting and maintaining physically active lifestyles; and

WHEREAS, the motor skill foundations established during the elementary grades may enhance children's social, cognitive, and physical development and increase the likelihood of continued interest and participation in physical activity; and

WHEREAS, many of the State's elementary school students are enrolled in after-school programs, which can serve as important sites for physical activity, physical education, and exercise, yet such programs are underutilized for supporting physical fitness; and

WHEREAS, the majority of children do not walk or ride their bikes to school, keeping them from the benefits such exercise might afford them; and

WHEREAS, much is unknown regarding the condition of physical activity facilities in elementary schools around the State; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to require all elementary school students to participate in a minimum of one hundred fifty minutes of physical activity, physical education, or exercise each week, spread across most days of the week; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to require physical activity, physical education, or exercise components and opportunities be included in after-school programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Department of Education, with assistance from the Department of Transportation, is requested to encourage schools and communities to adopt safe routes to school programs to encourage more children to walk or ride their bikes to school; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to prepare an assessment of school facilities for physical activity, noting schools where weather may limit access to play fields; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, and the Director of Transportation.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Physical Activity, Physical Education, and Exercise.