Future Physical Education Teachers Visit Capitol & Learn About Policies To Fight Childhood Obesity - March 26, 2007

Dr. Dolly Lambdin’s elementary physical education methods class recently got a firsthand look at policymaking when they trekked to the Texas state capitol for a press conference on a bill related to physical education.

Texas Sen. Jane Nelson held the press conference to announce a bill she is proposing that will address physical education, obesity and accountability in Texas schools.

“My students are going to be on the front lines when it comes to dealing with childhood obesity,” says Lambdin, a senior lecturer in the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, “and this visit to the capitol made a lot of the issues and concerns much more real to them.  They even had an opportunity to meet and talk with Dr. Kenneth Cooper one of the real champions of health and fitness in our nation.”

Senate bill 530, if passed, would require kindergarten through eighth grade students to participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity daily for at least 30 minutes or in moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least 135 minutes each week as part of the physical education curriculum. Schools also would be required to conduct a physical fitness assessment of kindergarten through 12th grade students twice each school year and compile the results of the assessments as well as a summary of the results for the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The data would be analyzed by TEA to see if there were correlations between physical activity and student achievement and attendance levels, student obesity, student disciplinary problems and school meal programs.

“There are a number of obesity-related bills up this session,” says Lambdin, “because of the incredible financial burden of obesity – and the cost to taxpayers is expected to perhaps quadruple in the next 10 years. Hopefully, here in Texas we’re moving in the right direction and trying to put policies in place that will encourage good health practices and improve the quality of life for everyone.

“About 18 percent of school age children nationwide  – that’s more than 10 million – currently are overweight and the percentage of overweight Texas children is double the national average. Obesity increases the likelihood of adult heart disease, diabetes and a host of other health problems, so combating the ‘childhood obesity epidemic’ should be of primary importance to most everyone.”

Dr. Lambdin is the past president of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education and, among other things, has been awarded the College of Education’s Dean’s Technology Award and a Meadows Faculty Technology Integration Awards.

—Kay Randall, University Communications, 512-232-3910