More physical education, but also more injuries in class

[ 2009-08-06 15:21 ]

Researchers in the U.S. suggest possible causes for a 150 percent jump between 1997 and 2007.

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Too much eating. Too many unhealthy foods. Too many advertisements for food. Too little activity.

Different explanations are offered for America's weight problem -- a problem increasingly shared by other countries. Almost one-fifth of American children and teenagers are overweight.

Schools have been urged to increase physical education, an important tool for public health. And many have. Yet now comes a study showing an increase in the number of injuries in "phys ed" class. Injuries increased 150 percent between 1997 and 2007.

The study involved injuries treated in hospital emergency departments. Only two percent were serious.

The researchers did not try to identify the causes of the increase, but they have some theories.

Lara McKenzie from Ohio State University was the lead researcher. She says one possibility is a decrease in the number of school nurses during the period they studied. For example, a 2004 study showed that the number of school nurses nationally failed to meet federal guidelines.

Schools without a nurse on duty may be more likely to send an injured child to a hospital.

Another possible reason for more injuries is a change in the traditional idea of physical education. This "New P.E." expands the kinds of sports that are taught. But activities that some schools offer now, like rock climbing walls and skateboarding, can also expand the risks, says Cheryl Richardson. She is with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

Also, she says not all states require P.E. teachers to be specially trained. Untrained teachers could be less likely to recognize unsafe conditions.

Cheryl Richardson also points to one of the study's findings -- that injuries are often the result of contact with a person or a structure. This tells her that the teachers were not giving each student enough space to move around safely.

Six activities produced 70 percent of all injuries: running, basketball, football, volleyball, soccer and gymnastics.

The study appeared online this week in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The researchers say larger class sizes are another possible reason for the increase in injuries. Larger classes can mean less supervision. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education says 20 to 30 students in a P.E. class should be the limit.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember.

Pediatrics: 小儿科，儿科学

Related stories:

Teenager dies in Internet rehab

Studying in the US: Getting a military education

Stress takes toll on student health

Weighty matter: Teen's struggle is a trend

(Source: VOA 英语点津编辑）

英语点津版权说明：凡注明来源为“英语点津：XXX（署名）”的原创作品，除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外，其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用，违者必究。如需使用，请与010-84883631联系；凡本网注明“来源：XXX（非英语点津）”的作品，，均转载自其它媒体，目的在于传播更多信息，其他媒体如需转载，请与稿件来源方联系，如产生任何问题与本网无关；本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段，版权归原作者所有，仅供学习与研究，如果侵权，请提供版权证明，以便尽快删除。

相关文章 Related Story

 

Pregnant women at greater danger from H1N1 flu

World's fringe festivals celebrate the unusual and experimental

New ways for poor countries to diagnose infectious diseases

Some crops (like some people) do well as companions