Journal ArticleDOI
Healthier students are better learners: a missing link in school reforms to close the achievement gap.
TLDR
This article identified health problems affecting school-aged youth that are highly prevalent, disproportionately affect urban minority youth, directly and indirectly causally affect academic achievement, and can be feasibly and effectively addressed through school health programs and services.Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: This article provides an introduction to the October 2011 special issue of the Journal of School Health on "Healthier Students Are Better Learners." METHODS: Literature was reviewed and synthesized to identify health problems affecting school-aged youth that are highly prevalent, disproportionately affect urban minority youth, directly and indirectly causally affect academic achievement, and can be feasibly and effectively addressed through school health programs and services. RESULTS: Based on these criteria, 7 educationally relevant health disparities were selected as strategic priorities to help close the achievement gap: (1) vision, (2) asthma, (3) teen pregnancy, (4) aggression and violence, (5) physical activity, (6) breakfast, and (7) inattention and hyperactivity. Research clearly shows that these health problems influence students' motivation and ability to learn. Disparities among urban minority youth are outlined, along with the causal pathways through which each adversely affects academic achievement, including sensory perceptions, cognition, school connectedness, absenteeism, and dropping out. Evidence-based approaches that schools can implement to address these problems are presented. These health problems and the causal pathways they influence have interactive and a synergistic effect, which is why they must be addressed collectively using a coordinated approach. CONCLUSIONS: No matter how well teachers are prepared to teach, no matter what accountability measures are put in place, no matter what governing structures are established for schools, educational progress will be profoundly limited if students are not motivated and able to learn. Particular health problems play a major role in limiting the motivation and ability to learn of urban minority youth. This is why reducing these disparities through a coordinated approach warrants validation as a cohesive school improvement initiative to close the achievement gap. Local, state, and national policies for implementing this recommendation are suggested. Language: enread more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Physical Education's Role in Public Health: Steps Forward and Backward over 20 Years and HOPE for the Future.
James F. Sallis,Thomas L. McKenzie,Michael W. Beets,Aaron Beighle,Heather Erwin,Sarah M. Lee +5 more
TL;DR: Accomplishments in improving the health impact of physical education and areas lacking progress are reviewed and an agenda for actualizing the promise of Health-Optimizing Physical Education is identified.
Journal ArticleDOI
Education Improves Public Health and Promotes Health Equity
TL;DR: A framework and empirical evidence are described to support the argument that educational programs and policies are crucial public health interventions for which systematic evidence indicates clear public health benefits.
Journal Article
Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Fat Mass in a Large Cohort of Children
Andy R Ness,Sam D Leary,Calum Mattocks,Steven N. Blair,John J. Reilly,Jonathan C. K. Wells,Sue Ingle,Kate Tilling,George Davey Smith,Chris Riddoch +9 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors carried out a cross sectional analysis on 5,500 12-year-old children enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model: a new approach for improving educational attainment and healthy development for students.
TL;DR: The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) approach builds upon the traditional CSH model and ASCD's Whole Child approach to learning and promotes greater alignment between health and educational outcomes.
Journal ArticleDOI
Do health and education agencies in the United States share responsibility for academic achievement and health? A review of 25 years of evidence about the relationship of adolescents' academic achievement and health behaviors.
Beverly J. Bradley,Amy C. Greene +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed original research published in peer-reviewed journals between 1985 and 2010 to synthesize evidence about the association of adolescent health-risk behaviors and academic achievement.
References
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OtherDOI
Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in the United States
Carlos J. Crespo,Smit Ellen +1 more
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Allison A. Hedley,Cynthia L. Ogden,Clifford L. Johnson,Margaret D. Carroll,Lester R. Curtin,Katherine M. Flegal +5 more
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