Healthy habits and hobbies
Our presentation is on how physical activity and nutrition affects an elementary students behavior in the classroom. We examined the lack of both physical activity and nutrition in a students
life and how that affects their behavior when in school. We found that
six out of ten students in grades K-8 come to school hungry because they
are not getting enough to eat or anything to eat at home. We also found
that 1 in 3 elementary aged students are over weight due to a lack of physical activity and eating habits. Both over weight
and underweight kids in America may be deemed as malnourished. A lack
of proper food intake is known as malnourishment and it does not imply
there is a lack of food, but it signifies a lack of nutrients.
Malnutrition can result in long term neural issues in the brain which
can impact a child’s emotional response, reactions to stress, learning
disabilities, and other medical complications. Also, most students rely
on food provided by the school during their school day, and if the
school only provides lunch, then that is the only meal they are eating
most days. The benefits of physical fitness go beyond health and
wellness of the body. Besides strengthening the cardiovascular and
muscular systems and lowering the risk of many diseases, research
suggests that physical activity also positively impacts the brain and
improves mood and attention in students. Also, providing daily aerobic
activities to children can help to reduce symptoms of ADHD such as
moodiness and inattentiveness. Research shows that even short bursts of
movement deliver big benefits for brain health and academic performance,
relative to sitting quietly and preventing unwanted behaviors.
Our
project is important because healthy students perform better. Poor
nutrition and inadequate physical activity can affect not only academic
achievement, but also other factors such as absenteeism, classroom
behavior, ability to concentrate, self-esteem, cognitive performance,
and test scores. To support positive outcomes for both health AND
learning, it’s important that educators incorporate movement into their
classroom routine.
EDUC 330, Child Development
Brian Kaelin
L203, poster #2
10 AM – Noon
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