CV&me

Mental Health Benefits of Exercise in Children

kkcol • Jul 18, 2023

Our kids need less time on devices and more time moving in school and out of school if we really care about their mental health! If we are truly looking for ways to help our kids with stress, anxiety, and depression, we should look to proven techniques that show benefits. We should not be spending money and time on trendy, unproven SEL “programs” that have not been able to prove any benefit after decades of broad implementation in school settings. Please read the research that proves movement and exercise benefit children in a variety of ways. Please ask your school board and administration to show proof of what they are implementing is beneficial to our students academic achievement and wellbeing. Nothing trendy or experimental should waste time or resources for our children. They deserve better!

 

Mental Health Benefits of Exercise in Children

Jan 28, 2015

Karen Dineen Wagner, MD, PhD

Psychiatric Times, Vol 32 No 1

The target for physical activity in adolescents is 60 or more minutes of daily aerobic activity. But it is unlikely that the majority of youths achieve this goal.

There was a time when children would play outdoors and get exercise by running and riding bicycles. In recent years, concerns about children’s safety, the popularity of video games and computers, and increased academic demands have contributed to the decline in outdoor play for children. Unless children are involved in sports, gymnastics, dance, or similar activities, they have limited involvement in exercise-related activities.


Benefits of physical activity

There is increasing evidence for mental health benefits of exercise in children. Hillman and colleagues1 examined the effects of physical activity on fitness, brain function, and cognitive function in 221 children aged 7 to 9 years. The children were randomly assigned to either a 9-month after school physical activity program or a wait-list control group. The physical activity intervention was 2 hours in duration and focused on improvement of aerobic fitness by engaging in physical activities. The children participated in at least 70 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, followed by a snack, rest period, and low organizational games such as tag. Pre and post-intervention measures included assessment of aerobic fitness and cognitive functioning. Aerobic fitness was assessed by a test of maximal oxygen consumption during a treadmill exercise. Cognitive functioning was evaluated through tasks that assessed attentional inhibition and cognitive flexibility. EEG recordings to deter-mine event-related brain potentials were obtained during the cognitive tasks.

At the end of the 9-month intervention, the physical activity group showed greater aerobic fitness than did the wait-list control group. The physical activity group also demonstrated greater attentional inhibition and cognitive flexibility. On EEG assessments, only the physical activity group showed a larger P3 amplitude (indicative of greater attention) and a faster P3 latency (indicative of faster processing speed). Children who attended a greater number of the physical activity sessions had more changes in these brain activity measurements.


ADHD and exercise

Given these findings of improved attention for children who engage in a physical activity program, it would be important to know whether children with ADHD would show improved attention with exercise. Pontifex and colleagues2 assessed the effect of a single bout of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on children with ADHD. Twenty children aged 8 to 10 years with ADHD and a healthy matched control group participated in the study. In this within-participants design, children participated in a 20-minute session of either aerobic exercise or seated reading on a motor-driven treadmill. Measures of event-related brain potentials and cognitive tasks were assessed during both of these conditions.

Both the children with ADHD and the control group showed greater response accuracy on attention control tasks following a single bout of exercise than following the seated reading session. EEGs indicated that children in both groups had larger P3 amplitude and shorter P3 latency after exercise than after seated reading. On measures of academic performance, children in both groups had greater improvement on tests of reading comprehension and arithmetic after exercise than after seated reading. The investigators suggest that single bouts of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise may be an additional treatment modality for children with ADHD. Moreover, short bouts of exercise during the school day may be a benefit to children in general.


Depression and exercise

The relationship between depression and exercise in children and adolescents has received recent attention. Kremer and colleagues3 investigated the associations between physical activity, leisure-time screen use, and depressive symptoms. The data were obtained from the Healthy Neighbourhoods Study, a crosssectional survey of 8256 children and adolescents (mean age, 11.5 years) in Australia. The students completed an online self-report instrument. Students were asked a number of questions about their physical activity behavior, including number of days attending physical education classes; degree of activity during these classes; number of days of being very active after school and on the weekend; involvement in sports or other activities in school and outside of school; opportunities to be involved in sports, clubs, organizations, or other activities at school; and number of days in the past week that they were physically active for at least 60 minutes per day. The students also reported time spent watching television, using the computer, or playing video games on school days and weekend days. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire.

Moderate to high depressive symptoms were reported by 33% of these youths. The odds of depressive symptoms were lower when there were greater opportunities for the youths to be involved in a sport or other activities at school outside of class, to be very active during physical education classes, and to play on sports teams both at school and outside of school. Youths who were physically active at least 60 minutes per day were also less likely to have depressive symptoms. Lower levels of leisure-time screen use (video game, computer, television) were also associated with lower depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Can physical activity protect against depressive symptoms in adolescence? Toseeb and colleagues4 examined the association between physical activity beginning at age 14 years and depressive symptoms at age 17 years. A community-based sample of 736 adolescents from the United Kingdom participated in this longitudinal study. Baseline levels of physical activity were evaluated using combined heart rate and movement sensing. Participants were requested to wear the monitor over a 5-day period including 2 weekend days. Participants completed the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire at baseline and at 3-year follow-up. A semistructured clinical interview to assess for current episodes of MDD was also administered at baseline and at follow-up.

No association was found between physical activity at baseline and development of depressive symptoms at 3-year follow-up. The adolescents who were physically active at baseline did not have higher or lower depressive symptoms than the adolescents who were less physically active. Similarly, a diagnosis of MDD at 3-year follow-up was not predicted by physical activity at baseline. The investigators conclude that physical activity is not a protective factor in the development of depressive symptoms in adolescence.


Conclusion

Overall, studies provide support for the benefits of physical exercise in children and adolescents on executive function, brain activity, and depressive symptoms. According to Healthy People 2020, the target for physical activity in adolescents is 60 or more minutes of daily aerobic activity.5 It is unlikely that the majority of youths achieve this target. The importance of physical activity should be promoted in the school setting as well as in after school activities. Parents should also encourage their children to be involved in physical activities.


References:

1. Hillman CH, Pontifex MB, Castelli DM, et al. Effects of the FITKids randomized controlled trial on executive control and brain function. Pediatrics. 2014;134: e1063-e1071.

2. Pontifex MB, Saliba BJ, Raine LB, et al. Exercise improves behavioral, neurocognitive, and scholastic performance in children with ADHD. J Pediatr. 2013;162:543-551.

3. Kremer P, Elshaug C, Leslie E, et al. Physical activity, leisure-time screen use and depression among children and young adolescents. J Sci Med Sport. 2014;17:183-187.

4. Toseeb U, Brage S, Corder K, et al. Exercise and depressive symptoms in adolescents: a longitudinal cohort study. JAMA Pediatr. 2014;168:1093-1100.

5. US Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines. Accessed December 18, 2014.

Studio Classrooms: Education or Experimentation

By kkcol • 18 Jul, 2023
For the 2023-2024 school year there will be 28 teachers writing curriculum for Studio Classrooms for Portrait of a Eagle for grades 6-12 and 3 teachers working on Digital Lit/Citizenship Framework for “full Year Course Maintenance” for K-12 at an additional cost of $28,620. I am not saying teachers doing extra work should not be compensated. I am suggesting that we utilize our smart, talented teachers and focus on academic learning. At a Curriculum Meeting in January, there were 2 presentations on the Studio Classrooms pilot program. One was given by the 7 th grade Spanish teacher. Studio Classroom seems to be used to administer the Portrait of an Eagle program, which is the District’s social-emotional learning program (SEL). The Spanish teacher admitted that the program “cuts down on content instruction.” This is what we have been saying all along about SEL watering down academic instruction time. SEL requires a lot of internal focus and will make students more narcissistic (constant focus on feelings) and less focused on facts and constructive action. James Lindsay defines SEL as the practice of psychology on groups of children in uncontrolled, non-therapeutic spaces by non-professionals. SEL will be used to shape students’ attitudes, values and beliefs to accept a particular (Marxist) worldview. This will be done through classroom discussion and written/online surveys and “assessments.” Students will have instruction on these “competencies” and assessed on them within the Studio Classroom curriculum. Students will be tracked on how they are scoring on these competencies and the data is being collected and used to move them through until they get the “correct” scores. Please educate yourself on what SEL really is and how educational agencies and consulting groups are appealing to emotion to sell billions of dollars of curriculum and programs to school districts, government and community agencies, and even churches. You can learn more about SEL on the New Discourses web site/podcasts: https://youtu.be/IKdJfJdcjgU The other pilot program teacher was Matt Billman, Human Anatomy and Physiology. Mr. Billman said the assessments are moving to “non-traditional” methods, such as group work. He stated the students were concerned how they were being assessed in these new subjective methods, as they should be! The students did not have quizzes or tests as usual. What did they actually learn? Everyone should ask how group work will affect their students’ learning and grades as they go through middle school and high school.

CV MONTHLY REVIEW - FEBRUARY

16 Feb, 2023
The information in this blog includes a summary of a curriculum meeting from a taxpayer that regularly attends the meetings and is very active in helping the candidates running for school board this year along with additions from my research on these issues. There were 2 presentations on the Studio Classrooms pilot programs. One was given by the 7 th grade Spanish teacher. Studio Classroom seems to be used to administer the Portrait of an Eagle program, which is the District’s social-emotional learning program (SEL). The Spanish teacher admitted that the program “cuts down on content instruction.” This is what we have been saying all along about SEL watering down academic instruction time. SEL requires a lot of internal focus and will make students more narcissistic (constant focus on feelings) and less focused on facts and constructive action. James Lindsay defines SEL as the practice of psychology on groups of children in uncontrolled, non-therapeutic spaces by non-professionals. SEL will be used to shape students’ attitudes, values and beliefs to accept a particular (Marxist) worldview. This will be done through classroom discussion and written/online surveys and “assessments.” Students will have instruction on these “competencies” and assessed on them within the Studio Classroom curriculum. Students will be tracked on how they are scoring on these competencies and the data is being collected and used to move them through until they get the “correct” scores. You can learn more about SEL on the New Discourses web site/podcasts, and also read this paper: https://pioneerinstitute.org/pioneer-research/academic-standards-pioneer-research/social-emotional-learning-k-12-education-as-new-age-nanny-state/ The other pilot program teacher was Matt Billman, Human Anatomy and Physiology. Mr. Billman said the assessments are moving to “non-traditional” methods, such as group work. He stated the students were concerned how they were being assessed in these new subjective methods, as they should be! Everyone should ask how group work will affect their students’ learning and grades. Again, is it all being watered-down? Use of Technology Update Tech Director Chris Smith gave a detailed technology update. Apparently, the teachers have access to 279 apps, web sites and programs that have not been technically approved for curriculum, but the teachers find through other sources. There has been no control or oversite of these supplemental resources. They discussed putting internal regulations in place to approve these supplemental sources before teachers can use them. For concerned parents there are options. Opt your child out of school Google account: https://www.cvschools.org/support_operations/technology/educational_technology/google_for_education/opt-out_information Pushing Failing Students into Certification Programs Dr. Christopher talked about pushing students who don’t pass the Keystone Exams, which are required for graduation, into one of several certification programs with local colleges. This aligns with the knowledge we have of how the Keystone test scores were cut to make sure a certain percentage of students failed. So it is a back-door way of practically forcing students into certain career paths? I’m not saying these certification programs are bad. But I don’t believe pigeon-holing students based on one exam is helpful or fair to a developing student that may change in ability and interest during the high school experience and young adult lives. Math update The Math department will be looking to testing a K-8 pilot program in the 2023-24 school year. They want to test multiple programs to see which they like best. Remember when they do these pilot programs, this is basically experimenting with your kids. Do parents really understand how different the structure and content of the class with be for their child? This needs to be more transparent. When asked if the math program will be like the new language arts curriculum, the answer was yes. That means that several studies will be incorporated into the math lesson. For example, with CVSD’s new language arts program, the students also have their science and social studies curriculum. How can students get the time needed to develop the specific skills required for math if they are now going to add other disciplines into the lessons??? Dr. Euker stated that the math “vocabulary” is now not consistent across the grades (I assume due to the implementation of Common Core) and this is creating problems. Who knew math “vocabulary” needed to change? Class Rank Dr. Christopher stated that some students have been asked about class ranking and the students want to “get rid of it.” Dr. Blanchard stated that the Board is ultimately responsible for the decision. How will the Board decide and when? Maybe there needs to be some adjustment, but will the administration and school board use this as an excuse to get rid of grades as the main source of assessing students. SEL programming is all for getting rid of grades and moving towards assessing competencies. I do not believe this will help our children as they move into adulthood and whatever competitive work environment that they choose after graduation. There are schools doing this to varying degrees and the outcomes are just as diverse. Here are some examples for reference: https://www.simplemost.com/schools-phase-out-valedictorians/ https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-accelerated-math-courses-equity https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/gifted-programs-worsen-inequality-here-s-what-happens-when-schools-n1243147 Here are the next three school board meeting dates and they are held at the District Office Boardroom located at 6746 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050: Tuesday, Jan. 21st at 7:00 p.m. Monday, March 6 th at 7:00pm Monday, March 20 th at 7:00pm If you cannot attend in person you can also livestream these full board meetings. The agenda and livestream link are posted three days prior to the meeting at the following site: https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/cmdvsd/Board.nsf/vpublic?open

HEALTH TIP MINUTE - FEBRUARY

16 Feb, 2023
Information taken from: https://www.stroke.org/en/about-the-american-stroke-association The American Stroke Association is a relentless force for a healthier world with fewer strokes. Strokes are the second leading cause of death worldwide and a leading cause of disability. As champions for health equity, we commit to: Identify and remove barriers to health care access and quality. Advance cardiovascular health for all. A stroke is a life-changing event — physically and emotionally. Every stroke is unique, and so is every recovery. As a trusted resource, look to us for the latest evidence-based information on stroke, post-stroke recovery, caregiver tools and resources, and education for health care professionals. The American Heart Association created the Dallas-based American Stroke Association as a division in 1998. To learn more or get involved, call 1-888-4-STROKE (1-888-478-7653) or visit stroke.org. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a warning stroke, but is commonly referred to by the public as a mini-stroke. TIA is a medical emergency with the same symptoms as ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes . Because most TIA symptoms last from only a few minutes up to 24 hours, they are often dismissed and not taken seriously. TIAs, which occur before about 15% of strokes, are considered "warning strokes" — they are associated with additional TIAs, full-blown strokes or other cardiovascular problems later. Most of these later health problems happen within just days or weeks of the TIA, so early interventions to reduce risk are vital. Remember "F.A.S.T." to know when to call for help: F = Face drooping A = Arm weakness S = Speech difficulty T = Time to call 911 If you or someone with you is experiencing these or other stroke symptoms, urgent medical evaluation and treatment are needed. Check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared. Call 911 even if the symptoms go away. Silent strokes are undetected strokes. They occur when a blood vessel blockage in the brain causes cells to die, but no warning signs or symptoms are obvious. About one-fourth of people over age 80 have at least one such area of tissue death, known as a "silent infarct," in the brain. The condition is more common with increasing age, and in people who smoke or have a history of vascular disease (conditions that affect your blood vessels). Experts estimate that 10 silent strokes occur for every stroke with detectable symptoms. Despite being called "silent," these infarcts have been linked to subtle problems in a person's movement and mental processing. They also are linked to future risk for stroke and dementia. Other symptoms to watch for sudden: NUMBNESS or weakness of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body CONFUSION , trouble speaking or understanding speech TROUBLE SEEING in one or both eyes TROUBLE WALKING , dizziness, loss of balance or coordination SEVERE HEADACHE with no known cause
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