SPORTS LIFE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT SCHOOL

The school, as a living environment for young people, offers several opportunities for practicing physical and sports activities.  

More physical activity at school would promote academic success

Devoting more hours to physical activity in the school environment would improve students' academic performance, even by cutting hours from the teaching of other subjects.

This is what François Trudeau, director of the Department of Human Kinetics at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, said, the boards of establishments are reluctant to cut teaching hours to devote more time to physical activity,  because they fear a reduction in school performance  ".

However, by subtracting up to 5  hours of class per week to replace them with physical activity, the students would have similar results - or even better - than those they had before.

This is the conclusion that François Trudeau came to after conducting a review of studies, which was published in  2008.

"  Even when cutting instructional hours, half of the studies showed that increasing physical education time allowed students to maintain equally good results - meaning that their performance improved as they had less stress. 'class hours  “, he explains.

The other half of the studies he analyzed showed that school results had even improved. (See box below)

Why rely on school first to increase the level of activity among young people?

"  Because 98  % of children go to school, recalls Mr.  Trudeau. It's accessible to everyone, regardless of where you come from.  »

It has also been observed that, among young people from underprivileged backgrounds, those who engage in extracurricular physical activity have better results in mathematics than those who do not move.

"  We believe that it is the presence of adults in the school and extracurricular environment that influences these young people  : they see several adult role models and it motivates them to continue school  “, believes Mr.  Trudeau.

In addition, an American study which will soon be published will add, according to him, to the relevance of getting young people to move more in the school environment.  : sedentary students displaying excess weight would experience metabolic disorders that would accentuate learning problems.

Benefits beyond fitness

Here are the main conclusions that emerge from the studies analyzed by François Trudeau, dealing with the effect of physical activity on academic success.

• Increasing the number of physical education lessons would improve school results, even reducing the number of hours devoted to other subjects.

• Conversely, sacrificing hours of physical education in favor of more hours of classroom instruction would not improve academic performance and be harmful to young people's health.

• Physical activity would have a positive effect on certain determinants of academic success, including behavior in class, self-esteem, self-image, satisfaction with school and sense of belonging to school. .

• Young people who see themselves as athletes have fewer disruptive behaviors in class, in addition to increasing their satisfaction with school and their sense of belonging - two determinants that prevent dropping out of school.

• More physical activity in children with behavioral and learning disorders would result in better academic results and better behaviors in the classroom.

• The effects of physical activity on academic success are maintained over the long term.

• In addition to being successful in college, elite athletes tend to be more successful in the job market than non-athletes.

Obesity peaks among young people

Researcher at the Department of Sport and Physical Activity of the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sport (MELS), Guy  Thibault believes that parents have started to apply the many messages aimed at getting children moving more.

"  There has recently been a slight decrease in obesity among young people, he argued. It is too early to speak of progress in this direction, but we can think that obesity is leveling off.  »

According to Guy  Thibault, we must offer young people a variety of activities, without limiting ourselves to a specific number of minutes of exercise to be accumulated each day. "  When it comes to physical exercise, doing a little is already a lot and doing more is always better.  “, he says.

In addition, he reminds parents to avoid putting pressure on their children to play sports or presenting physical activity as a necessary chore. "  The notions of pleasure and play must remain central  “, insists Guy Thibault.

How can families encourage healthy active living?

• Limit the time your children and teens spend watching television, playing video games and browsing the Internet: they should not devote more than one to two hours a day to these activities. The Canadian Pediatric Society discourages activities in front of a screen (television, video games, portable devices, etc.) for children under 2 years old.

• Playing an organized sport (like being on a soccer or hockey team) is not enough to keep children and teens healthy. Encourage your children or teenagers to be active every day. They can walk or bike to friends' houses, jump rope, or play at the neighborhood park or playground.

• If you drive your children to school, try walking instead, or organize a walking club with your neighbours.

• Encourage your children to use the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator.

• Get your kids involved in household chores like carrying groceries, raking leaves, or shoveling snow.

• Make sure the activities are safe. Children and teens should wear protective gear when engaging in activities such as biking, skating, skateboarding, soccer, and other physical activities