OBESITY IN KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN

RENEROSE C. PABLO

In the proposed inclusion of anti-obesity program to the basic education curriculum, it is clearly pointed out that pre-school, kindergarten and elementary students are required to take 200 minutes of physical activity each 10 days.

This is because the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, in a survey disclosed that 31.1 percent of Filipinos are overweight in 2017, compared to 16.6 percent in 2016. Similarly, the National Nutrition Council said overweight and obesity among pre-school and kindergarten children increased from below two percent from 2016 to 4.9 percent in 2017.

A parallel study by the Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity also found that 86 percent of the “at-risk” kindergarten students were “physically inactive,” necessitating an antiobesity program that focuses on the very young children like those in kindergarten.

As such, the proposed Anti-Obesity Education Program Act seeks the inclusion of anti-obesity education program and exercise, including play and traditional Filipino games, in the pre-school, elementary, and high school curricula.

Under the bill, the Department of Education will be mandated to carry out the physical education and sports in pre-school institutions, grade school and high school, where measures will help pre-school and kindergarten pupils to work and play with others, express themselves, learn to use and manage their bodies, and extend their interests and understanding of the world around them.

Physical education instruction in kindergarten and other elementary students will include movement experiences and body mechanics, fitness and rhythmic activities, increased cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and sports and games.

Reducing obesity in kindergarten and pre-school, will help children develop physical and motor fitness, fundamental motor skills and patterns, skills in aquatics and dance, individual and group games, and sports.

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The author is Teacher I at San Matias Elementary School, Sta. Rita, Pampanga