How To Improve Student Health
“Did you know that public
buildings seating over one hundred people
will soon have to enlarge their seats to make accommodations for
overweight people?” (Winfrey) This question is only a slight definition of
the problem with the unhealthy habits of today’s Americans. Research
suggests that this problem of overwhelming weight gain of Americans is
beginning with college students. It is estimated that the average college
student will gain 15 pounds during their freshman year.
Unhealthy habits, of course, are
not a new problem among college
students. But part of the reason that unhealthy habits remains a problem in
colleges and universities may be that people are uninformed and do not
know any real solutions for the problem.
The problem is American college
students are putting their health at
risk with poor eating and exercise habits because they are uneducated about
nutrition. The problem is not being solved because each individual has their
own idea about what good health means. After researching, I found that at
Arizona State University there are only two courses taught about health and
exercise that can be taken to fulfill the general studies requirements (ASU
Bulletin 77). One of the two classes is FON 344: Nutrition Services
Management, in which the student will learn organization, administration,
and management of food and nutrition services in hospitals and other
institutions. The second class taught is NUR 254: Health for All : Issues of
World Health. In this class students will be introduced to issued of world
health, determines of health and relationships of health to development and
change. Out of the five core areas and three awareness areas, students only
have these two courses to educate them on health and exercise.
Research shows that Americans as a whole are uneducated about
health and nutrition. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and
Human Services have released the Third Report on Nutrition Monitoring in
the United States, a comprehensive 2-volume report which reviews the
dietary and nutritional status of the U.S. population.
Among the report’s findings:
*Americans are slowly changing their eating patterns toward more
healthful diets, but a considerable gap remains between public health
recommendations and consumer practices.
*About one-third of adults and one-fifth of adolescents in the United
States are overweight. These results represent increases in the prevalence of
overweight since 1979.
*Despite significant progress, 20 percent of Americans still have high
serum cholesterol levels.
*Many Americans are not getting the calcium they need to maintain
optimal bone health and prevent age-related bone loss, particularly
adolescents, adult females, elderly people and nonhispanic black males.
*Less than one-third of American adults meet the recommendation to
consume five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Today, one out of every three U.S. males and females are overweight,
cross-cutting all age sectors. Surveys indicate “total calorie intake has
remained relatively stable, suggesting that individuals have become more
sedentary or less active”. (IFIC 1) The Centers for Disease Control also
reported that only 8% of adults aged 16-25 do any regular exercise, i.e., 20
minutes of vigorous exercise three times or more per week.
The top five reasons given by both males and females for exercising
were:
*Weight control
*Increasing energy
*Toning muscles
*Feeling good following exercise and cardiovascular conditioning
(Total Health)
It is estimated that approximately one-third of all cancers are linked
to unhealthy diets, particularly diets high in fat. Some 58 million
Americans have cardiovascular disease; and estimated one in four
Americans will develop cardiovascular disease (Medlantic).
Cardiovascular disease can lead to heart attacks, strokes and symptoms that
reduce quality and length of life. Cardiovascular disease can be prevented
by:
* Eating foods that are low in fat.
*Getting regular aerobic exercise.
It is very beneficial for American college students to aquire good
eating and exercise habits. “Exercising helps you feel good about yourself
and how you look. In turn giving you a higher self-confidence so you can
motivate yourself to become a successful person” (Total Health). To do so, I
propose that it become a general studies requirement for all American
college students to take a minimum of 4 credit hours of physical education
classes before they can graduate. I believe that all universities and colleges
need to offer more nutrition and fitness classes. Taking care of your body is
just as important as filling your mind with knowledge. I feel that this
would be very beneficial to college students to get in shape and be able to
maintain a somewhat healthy lifestyle throughout college. If college
students were required to take health courses they would have the
knowledge to aquire and maintain that type of lifestyle.
It is very disturbing that students are not required to study any kind of
physical education before they graduate. Studies show since 1970 there is
an average of one out of every three males and females that are overweight
(Nutrition Research Newsletter 1). How do we expect to solve this
problem if we the people are not educated in the subjects of health and
exercise.
There are many students who would argue and say that students
already skip classes now and that this proposal could not be enforced. The
administration could easily enforce the class requirement by making the
classes small enough in which the professors could take role everyday.
There would only be a certain number of absences allowed per semester just
the same as any English class. It could be taken for one credit hour taught
twice a week for one hour. Students would be required to take the class at
least once a year before their graduation date.
The classes that would be required would consist of running,
swimming, stretching, and any aerobic type activity. It would also teach
about nutrition and the proper way to diet, what is healthy and what is not.
Students in middle schools are required to take 4 years of physical
education and that is why it is important to expand our knowledge of our
bodies into college. If college students were constantly reminded of how
important good exercise and healthy foods are, Americans as a whole
would be healthier.
Exercise is an extremely important demand, and the body responds to
it in several ways. One thing that happens during exercise is that the heart
beats faster and pumps more oxygen-containing blood through the arteries,
which are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood. If you exercise
regularly for a prolonged period of time, the blood vessels feeding the
muscles will adapt, growing larger in order to deliver more blood. The
heart will enlarge also and will grow stronger, enabling it to pump more
blood, and in turn you will live a longer, healthier life.
Education is the key into the door of life. If we can get American
college students educated on health, our society will grow and we will get
out of this downward slope our county is in. The process will not be easy.
First, it will need to start with the administrators becoming aware of the
problem and the only way they can become aware if we the voice of
American college students coming forward and wanting to change the
health outlook on society. Another argument people might have is the fact
that most Universities across the nation have nice exercise complexes. My
thoughts on that are if people really had the time and the desire to go to the
gym we would as a nation be 100% healthier.
I do not think to many people would agree with my proposal.
Americans as a society are lazy, It is sad that our society are becoming
such couch potatoes.
The goal of my proposal paper is to influence as many college
students as possible on the importance of acquiring healthy eating and
exercise habits so that we as Americans can become a healthier society.
Requiring a physical education class seems to be the only solution I could
come up with and that I felt would make any kind of a difference in the
American society. The health of our future lies in our hands, so lets use our
minds to make a difference.
Bibliography
About the Author
Back to The Full Cup
Send comments to:
angie1313@asu.edu