In the good old days...

Please read the following quotation:

"The habits of physical exercise have decreased. There has been an entire change in the habits of this nation within the last thirty years. We eat, and we give our children to eat...large quantities of sugar...as was never heard of in former generations. In earlier days, children worked with their parents. But these days, the greater portion of parents, when they send their children to school, require little or no work from them."

Take a guess at the year in which you think the above quote was written: 1990? 1960? 1920? Earlier than this? The answer: These comments are taken from an article by Catherine Beecher, written in 1856 (Physical training: health of teachers and pupils.The American Journal of Education).

It is interesting to provide an historical context when thinking about the concerns and issues faced by PE teachers in 2003. For example, regularly in the news are the reports in the rise of childhood obesity, the poor diets of children, and the lack of physical actiivty. These themes of today are strikingly similar to those 150 years ago: parents are neglecting their responsibilities to ensure healthy, vibrant children…this is a crisis of national scope…and these were problems not seen in previous generations.

Yet, Beecher's quote informs us that the problems of poor diet and inactivity that we prescribe to today's children were seen in previous generations. In fact, they were probably much worse. I would guess children in the 1850's ate a much poorer diet and had far fewer health-promoting physical activities available to them. 

This does not mean we should be any less concerned with problems confronting today's youth. For instance, the incidence of type 2 diabetes among children and teens is alarming, most likely attributable to excessive energy intake as opposed to decreased energy expenditure. There is much work to be done for many thousands of children deserving of opportunities for optimal health and well-being. 

In 1856, Beecher was also advocating there was much work ahead in order to improve the well being of children. She recognized the health behaviors of youth were pressing and important issues. And she wondered whether children were better off in previous generations. I wonder if teachers in 2150 will look back to the beginning years of this new century and comment that "those were the good old days". If they do, this will be disappointing - because we still have much to do for the betterment of our youth.

Darren Dale
Health, Fitness & Nutrition Section Editor

Websites to keep you informed 

It is difficult for teachers to find time to stay informed about new and innovative ideas in Physical Education - let alone keep up to date on happenings in related fields such as health, medicine, legal matters, physiology, sports coaching, and nutrition... to name but a few.

Listed below are links to some wonderful reporting on a broad range of issues that should interest physical education teachers. Spending about an hour each week visiting the sites mentioned below can keep you up-to-date and informed.

Scientific American is an exceptional publication providing coverage on a wide range of areas including biology, education, health, medicine, nutrition, and physiology. The most recent issue (March 2003) issue features an article on osteoporosis - prevalence, causes, and current and future treatments.  

The New York Times and the Washington Post are among many daily newspapers that provide free access to news stories. A great feature is the ability to personalize email alerts in order to receive stories in specific areas of interest. If you want to keep informed about issues such as Title IX, obesity and health, steroids, ephedra -just some of the recent issues relevant to PE teaching reported on over the past month or so- then email alerts are a highly successful means of doing so.

The Harvard Medical School's Harvard Health Letter contains current and comprehensive information on a wide range of topics including nutrition, exercise, cardiovascular rehabilitation, and home/work safety. It is a terrific read and is true to its claim on the homepage: "The information provided in each issue helps our readers make informed decisions about their health and well-being and the health of their families".

Books on nutrition: Separating the wheat from the chaff.

There are an exhaustive number of books on nutrition available. (Just type in the keyword 'nutrition' at Barnes and Noble or  Amazon.com and prepare to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of titles).  Which book should a reader buy?

The proclamations (attributed to eminent people) on a book's back jacket persuade a buyer to make a purchase. Proclaiming a book on nutrition to be better than the others is quite (but not entirely) a subjective process. A valuable book recommendation should be based on two criteria: (1) the credentials of the author and (2) the empirical support for the book's content. The hope is that a person endorsing a particular book has made her/his  recommendation based on these two criteria - author credentials and empirical support. But it is worth checking further.

Buyers can separate the wheat from the chaff reasonably easily by typing the author's name into a search engine such as 'Google'. Is the author well credentialed? (a terminal degree in nutrition or closely related field, an investigative journalist). Has the author published scientific papers? Does the author have an industry affiliation? 

Entering the book title into a search engine will provide numerous reviews. Give weight to the reviews provided by those with expertise in nutrition and related fields (public health, medicine, biochemistry). Find out if leading organizations (e.g., the American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association) endorse the book.

On the question of the evidence to support the premises advanced in book: verify a substantial number of references (at least 100) from peer-reviewed journals have been used.

Hopefully, this information will help in browsing for books on nutrition: what are the credentials of the author (and those reviewing the book); and is there evidence of a strong scientific foundation upon which the book is based.