The rising number of overweight children in Hawai'i has the American Heart Association proposing changes to the physical education requirements in public schools.

In January, the state Board of Education is expected to consider the proposal, which would increase the number of hours a week students spend in P.E. and require schools to employ teachers either certified or experienced in teaching P.E.

With the increasing pressures for schools to perform under the federal No Child Left Behind law, heart association officials say they fear physical education is taking a backseat to test preparation. And with no state mandate to require P.E. in the elementary and middle school grades, they warn that schools can easily overlook P.E. while trying to meet the expectations of testing standards.

"They are all under pressure, and we understand the pressures of No Child Left Behind ... but kids' health is something you can't just throw out," said Don Weisman, communications director for the American Heart Association.

In Hawai'i, one-third of students consider themselves overweight, according to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. That has the American Heart Association pushing for changes.

DOE officials are looking seriously at the heart association's proposal and say it would require hiring more P.E. teachers, a task that could prove difficult, said Donna Ede, the DOE's physical education coordinator.

"What they are asking for is daily physical education, and if we went to daily physical education, we would not have enough teachers," Ede said.

Alika Yuen, a junior at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut, credits the daily physical education he received while a student at Kamehameha Schools for changing his life.

In kindergarten, Yuen weighed at least 90 pounds, he said. All throughout elementary and middle school, he struggled with his weight. He not only struggled to keep up with classmates and teammates, but he also suffered from asthma and other health problems associated with his weight.

"His teachers had sessions with me. They said we needed to change," said Kenn Yuen, Alika's dad. "It wasn't a proud moment."

But Alika said it wasn't until high school that he "internalized" what he was learning in P.E. and made it a goal to get active and get healthy.

"When I was a freshman, we were all required to train for either a (10-kilometer) run or a (3-kilometer) swim," Yuen said. "That kind of gave me more of a goal. I actually wanted to do good at these things. That's when the habit started forming," he said.

Dr. Stephen Bradley, a bariatric medicine specialist, said physical education is not just important because it gets kids moving in schools. As demonstrated by Yuen, it helps to create lifelong habits of fitness and good health.

"The fact is that school is one of the main places you are guaranteed to affect a child's life," Bradley said. "If we don't prepare them now, we're going to have a true problem in a few years that I don't think anyone is prepared to deal with, either socially or financially. It is considered a societal investment to improve physical education."

The heart association's proposal would require 150 minutes of P.E. instruction a week for elementary students and 225 minutes a week for secondary students. That's more minutes than schools now provide, Ede said.

The state recommends — but does not require — the following minutes of physical activity per week: 45 for kindergarten to third grade; 55 for fourth and fifth grade; 109 for sixth grade at an elementary school; and 200 for grade six to 12.

"Those are just suggestions. It's up to the school to determine how many hours they can provide," Ede said.

High school students must complete two semesters of physical education to graduate.

Also, the proposal would require classes be taught by either a certified P.E. instructor or "one who has demonstrated consistent professional development in P.E. during the last three years."

There are less than 40 certified P.E. instructors on the elementary level and about 252 on the secondary level. That equals about 1.14 P.E. teachers per school, far less than what would be required to implement daily P.E., said Ede.

"Looking at the numbers, we'd need about 180 more teachers," Ede said.

Considering that the University of Hawai'i has graduated only 45 certified P.E. teachers in the past five years, it could be difficult to find enough teachers, Ede said. It would possibly require the DOE to look to the Mainland, she said.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Education is launching its own wellness program, which adheres to federal guidelines for nutrition and fitness. The guidelines seek to limit sugary snacks and foods on campuses and proposes to increase the time students spend on physical activities. That will be phased in over the next four years, officials say.

Ede said education officials will have to consider the effect that increasing the time spent in physical education would have on meeting federal education standards.

"We're willing to discuss improvements that we need to make, but we have to look at the big picture, too," she said.

Dr. Bradley, who is one of the foremost experts on childhood obesity in Hawai'i and sits on the board of the American Heart Association, said he recognizes that the changing P.E. standards would require the state to invest more resources, but he said childhood obesity is too serious of a problem to be ignored.

Quality physical education has to start with qualified teachers, Bradley said.

"Physical education is completely different from physical activity. It's not only allowing the kids to move, but it's the education, teaching why it is important. It's about giving them tools to lead a healthier life in the future," Bradley said.

Bradley pointed out that many obesity-related health conditions once found only in adults are now being seen in children with increasing frequency.

"When I was studying medicine, type 2 diabetes was called adult-onset diabetes. Nowadays I'm seeing it in my clinic in 11- and 12-year-olds. What's going to happen to that 11- and 12-year-old when they get to 40 years old?" Bradley said.

"It seems like this may be the first generation in our experience who will live fewer years than their parents," Bradley said.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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