"Hasta La Vista, Baby": California Public School Budget Cuts May Influence Children's Health

Many studies have been conducted exploring the benefits of exercise on health. It comes to no surprise that physical activity can prevent chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. If the advantages of exercise and a healthy diet are common knowledge, should not the government be more involved in promoting this type of lifestyle? For some children it is important to learn positive nutritional habits in school, especially when bad tendencies have been developed at home. Unfortunately, due to astronomical budget cuts for public education in California, a good number of young people’s health is suffering. In the long run, they grow up to be adults with fitness problems that teach their poor decisions to future generations. Although this is a topic that is of concern to all families with children in public schools, it can be especially important for minority families who may not be well educated about healthy alternatives.

Recently, Newsweek published a story titled “Six Worst Kid Health Habits.” In the article, Daniel Stone lists six unhealthy choices parents essentially allow their children to develop at home. The author makes reference to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), which is a self-proclaimed research-led think tank that reports at least 155 million school-age adolescents worldwide are overweight or obese. Among other regions, the IOTF draws attention to the dramatic increase in obesity among youth in England. Additionally, the article highlights the Medical College of Georgia (MCG), which conducted research in 2007 that linked exercise among kids with an increase in school performance. In a study titled “Exercise Improves Thinking, Reduces Diabetes Risk in Overweight Children,” Dr. Catherine Davis discusses the benefits she found when exposing 200 overweight, inactive adolescents to physical activity. Researchers state, "Aerobic exercise training showed dose-response benefits on executive function (decision-making) and possibly math achievement, in overweight children." Dr. Davis goes on to say that she hopes results like these convince policy makers to require rigorous activity to be a part of every student’s daily routine.

Not only did the MCG study acknowledge a link between exercise and improved thinking, they also found a decrease in insulin resistance, a precursor for diabetes, among subjects who were assigned to the 20 or 40 minute/day exercise condition. The take-away message from all of this is that physical education programs in schools need to be fast paced and consistent enough in order for students to achieve the multifaceted benefits of exercise within the school day. According to the aforementioned article in Newsweek, parents are not doing a good job of instilling healthy habits at home, which makes it important for children to exercise during school hours. A few of the six bad habits parents teach their sons and daughters include eating in front of the television, watching too much television and eating prepackaged foods. Because of this reality, school is considered to be a great place to address poor eating habits as well as insufficient amounts of physical activity and to teach nutritional alternatives. This can prove to be more helpful for Hispanic families who may lack the proper education to promote healthy lifestyles. What happens when education budget cuts remove programs dedicated to providing the physical activity so many students need?

Nationwide, most states are trying to make ends meet by making budget cuts wherever possible. In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (pictured to the left) has already implemented a $400 million reduction for public school and community college education throughout the state. Additionally, a $4.8 billion cut for K-12 education was proposed earlier this year to the shock of many Californians. With such a large decrease, it is foreseeable that almost every program will be affected, including nutrition and physical education. In late February, KQED public radio host Rachael Myrow spoke with Jill Wynns, member of the San Francisco board of education, about the local government’s work to preserve S.L.A.M. programs (Sports, Libraries, Arts and Music). Although some school districts may have established private funding streams in order to keep their sports and music programs alive, this is not the case for every school in California. School districts, preparing for 2008-2009’s budgets, have already been forced to consider staff cuts. The New York Times states that, "the Alameda school district in Northern California, trustees voted to reduce the $83.7 million budget by cutting $200,000 to the sports programs, eliminating music programs for all children below fourth grade and increasing class sizes in ninth grade to an average of 29 students, up from 20." When fears of a recession circulate, it is hard to believe that the remaining enrichment programs, such as sports and health education, will be effective when hundreds of teachers are being laid off.

Overall, it is the students that suffer the long lasting effects of these budget cuts, whether it is education or health-wise. While parents blame the school system for cutting sports programs and health education and the government blames parents for neglecting their children’s eating habits, youth continue to battle their weight and the dangerous effects of being unhealthy. Time and time again, the research supports the idea that exercise and a well balanced diet is crucial in avoiding many of the nation's most prevalent diseases. For some families, the budget deficit will encourage better decisions to be implemented at home, but for those who are unfamiliar with these choices, including many minorities, physical education cuts will prove to be detrimental to young people's current and future health.