PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND OVERWEIGHT/OBESE
STUDENTS : FROM THE CONSTRAINTS TO THE ACTION
Symposium
Marc CLOES - University of Liege, Belgium (Chair)
Ooksang CHO – Korea National Sport University, Korea
Sarah DOOLITTLE – Adelphi University, USA
Paul RUKAVINA – Adelphi University, USA
Louise MCCUAIG - University of Queensland, Australia (Discussant – to be confirmed)
Physical activity (PA) is becoming accepted as an important mechanism for curtailing the
increase in childhood obesity. Children and adolescents spend the majority of their waking hours
in schools, which make them important location for integrating of PA opportunities into students’
lives. PE teachers can play a crucial role in this process, integrating opportunities not only in PE
class, but other times before, during or after school. However, creating these programs and
differentiating instruction can be challenge, especially for overweight students due to their special
needs. In addition, there are many workplace barriers that teachers are confronted with to
implementing these programs. Reviewing studies that have investigated strategies toward
reducing obesity and including obese students in these programs is an important topic.
During this symposium, Oaksang Cho will first analyze the results of a review of literature
questioning the effectiveness of PA intervention in PE aimed at preventing students’ obesity.
Subsequently, Marc Cloes will identify the problems encountered by PE teachers in instructing
overweight students as well as their interest in receiving information about how to better include
overweight students in PE. Sarah Doolittle will discuss the special needs or the characteristics of
students that make them difficult to teach from multiple perspectives, including students, parents
and PE teachers. Finally, Paul Rukavina will review a study investigating how teachers designed
and implemented PE programs and used school and community resources to better include
overweight students into their classes. Authors will propose and discuss models that should bring
support to PE teachers and discuss implications for PE teacher education. Louise McCuaig will
reply as discussant. The symposium is directly relevant to the congress themes.
[273 words]
Marc Cloes – Marc.Cloes@ulg.ac.be
AN ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF SCHOOLBASED PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR PREVENTING STUDENTS’
OBESITY: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META ANALYSIS
Ooksang CHO 1
Sumin CHO 2
1. Korea National Sport University
2. Seon Obesity Clinic
Introduction: Although children obesity issues have become more critical there is no clear
scientific evidence related to the impact of school-based physical education on children obesity.
In other words there is a very limited number of studies that criticized the efficacy of school-based
physical education regarding the children’s obesity crisis.
Aims of the study: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of schoolbased physical education on childhood and adolescent obesity by analyzing findings of previous
studies that focused on the relationship between school-based physical education and change of
children’s physical conditions related to obesity.
Research methods: Initially, 1,617 studies were collected from article databases: SPORTDiscus,
PubMed, Medline, RISS, and Korea National Assembly Library. In screening process, all
collected studies were read by researchers regarding if they focused on the role of school-based
physical education on children’s obesity. Finally 14 studies were selected for a systematic review
of literature and meta analysis.
Research findings: The systematic review focused on how students’ target behaviors (i.e.,
physical activity and obesity-related knowledge development) are changed and the impacts of
school-based physical education on children’s physical conditions related to obesity (i.e., BMI,
weight, and waist) were positively changed. The Effect Size (ES) calculated in the meta analysis
was not statistically significant. The results of meta analysis suggested that school-based
physical education programs have had a slightly positive influence on students’ target behaviors
(ES=.72) and on physical conditions (ES=.84).
Relevance/Alignment to the conference themes: The present study concludes that it is necessary
to improve the effectiveness of school-based physical education to prevent children obesity by a
curriculum reform of school-based physical education because it is difficult to expect a significant
role of school physical education on the prevention of children obesity without any differentiated
contents and instructional approaches.
[296 words]
Ooksang Cho – mrphysics@knsu.ac.kr
CONSTRAINTS EXPERIENCED BY PHYSICAL EDUCATION
TEACHERS WITH OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE STUDENTS
Marc CLOES
Isaline Feron
Marie-Christine Lebrethon
University of Liege
Despite ‘antifat’ attitude of some PE teachers (Greenleaf & Weiller, 2005) and the PE public
relations problem in regard to how obese students are treated (Irwin et al., 2003), it seems
evident that this school subject represents a key element in the involvement of the education
sector in the fight against the worldwide escalating global epidemic of obesity (Tappe &
Burgeson, 2004). In fact, PE teachers consider that they lack of specific knowledge to implement
instructional strategies dealing with overweight and obese students (Cloes & Ziant, 2009). Some
authors proposed models to illustrate constraints that PE teachers encounter in their classes with
obese students and their potential solutions (Cloes et al., 2013; Rukavina et al., 2010). On the
other hand, data are missing when identifying those that are considered as their main concerns
and the ways that they would prefer to receive some support regarding this specific topic. This
study is focused on these two aspects. Five hundred thirteen PE teachers fulfilled an online
questionnaire (Lickert scales) in which they had to determine (1) the perceived importance of 20
problems proposed by PE teachers and validated by 8 experts; (2) their relative interest toward
the reception of support aiming to deal with those problems; (3) their preference for receiving
information about the potential instructional strategies. Based on the answers, the top 3 problems
are: (1) Students’ lack of awareness about the risks of overweight and obesity; (2) Constraints
associated with the motor/physical disabling; (3) Parents’ lack of awareness about physical
activity impact on health. Internet (3.49±.6/4), continuing professional development activities
(3.29±.8/4), and educational info capsules (3.07±.8/4) were identified as the main resources that
PE teachers would use preferentially. This study provides useful information for PE teachers’
educators who should develop now material to be shared with the practitioners.
Cloes, M., Gianquinto, J., & Mouton, A. (2013, July). Specific caring for overweight students in
physical education : Implementation of teaching strategies identified during an interdisciplinary
meeting. Paper presented at the 2013 AIESEP International Conference ‘Physical education and
sport: Challenging the future’, Warsaw, Poland. Retrived from: http://hdl.handle.net/2268/75449
Cloes, M., & Ziant, N. (2009, May). Analysis of the representations of school and physical
education roles in combating obesity. Paper presented at the AIESEP International Specialist
Seminar “The physically active lifestyle: A collaboration among professions”, Pensacola, FL.
Retrived from: http://hdl.handle.net/2268/75449
Greenleaf, C., & Weiller, K. (2005). Perceptions of youth obesity among physical educators.
Social Psychological of Education, 8, 407-423. DOI: 10.1007/s11218-005-0662-9
Irwin, C.C., Symons, C.W., & Kerr, D.L. (2003). The dilemmas of obesity. How can physical
educators help? Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 74, 6, 33-39. DOI:
10.1080/07303084.2003.10609217.
Rukavina, P., Li, W., Doolittle, S., Manson, M.L., & Beale, A.K. (2010). Physical Education
Teachers’ Instructional Strategies for Including Overweight Students. Research Quarterly for
Exercise and Sport, 81, sup.1, A67-68.
Tappe, M.K., & Burgeson, C.R. (2004). Physical education: A cornerstone for physically active
lifestyles. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 23, 4, 281-299.
Marc Cloes – Marc.Cloes@ulg.ac.be
[298 words]
OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE STUDENTS IN PE AND PA
Sarah DOOLITTLE
Paul RUKAVINA
Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA
In the United States and developed countries, there are an increasing number of overweight and
obese students that present a challenge for PE teachers. If PE is to be seen as an important
element in preventing obesity and socializing overweight students for a physically active lifestyle,
PE teachers will need to better understand overweight students to interact with them in positive
ways, to develop appropriate learning activities that meet individual needs, and to create inclusive
classrooms where all students feel safe, included, and motivated to engage in PA.
However, research with overweight students shows that PE and school-based PA can be a
negative and threatening environment; overweight students often are unsuccessful in physical
activities and are stigmatized by some classmates and some teachers as lazy, unattractive, not
athletic and self-indulgent resulting in teasing and bullying (Li & Rukavina, 2012). This stigma
exacerbates a negative cycle of maladaptive coping and further weight gain that could eventually
lead these students to be resistant to PE, sport, and general PA. If students fail to develop
physical literacy and positive attitudes toward physical activities, where and with whom will they
learn this essential component of personal and social well-being?
The purpose of this presentation is to review research related to OWS’ perspectives on PE and
school based PA, and on PE teachers’ perspectives of OWS. Using the Social Ecological
Constraints framework (Li & Rukavina, 2012), we will compare perspectives from multiple
sources, including students, parents, and PE teachers, and studies documenting OWS
anthropometric, skill and fitness capabilities. Discussion includes implications on for inclusive
teaching strategies.
Li, W., Rukavina, P. (2012). Including overweight or obese students in physical education: A
social ecological constraint model. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 83, 4, 570-578.
Sarah Doolittle - doolittle@adelphi.edu
[261 words]
INCLUDING OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE STUDENTS INTO PE:
MULTI-LEVEL STRATEGIES
Paul RUKAVINA
Sarah DOOLITTLE
Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA
With America’s federal, state and local authorities focused on reversing the trend of increased
childhood obesity, physical education (PE) and school-based physical activity (PA) have gained
renewed attention and support. But are PE and PA teachers ready to provide positive PE and PA
experiences for overweight and obese students (OWS)? How do good teachers accommodate
OWS in PE and PA so that they are genuinely and successfully included and valued? Research
with OWS indicates that PE can be a toxic environment – OWS often experience lack of success
in physical activities, social exclusion, teasing and bullying, and too often are allowed to opt out of
class activities to avoid embarrassment. Yet, if they fail to develop physical literacy and positive
attitudes toward PA in school, what chance will they have elsewhere? PE teachers may be the
best resource available for all OWS to experience the support and success necessary to develop
skills, knowledge and dispositions for lifelong health-enhancing PA.
This presentation will review a study investigating teaching strategies and program designs for
including OWS in PE and PA. Using the Social Ecological Constraints framework (Li & Rukavina,
2012) findings related to transforming PE and PA to meet the needs of OWS will be presented.
According to the model, inclusion is defined as the “holistic engagement of students using
culturally, socially and developmentally appropriate tasks, program, and policy design” (Li &
Rukavina, 2012, p. 4). Suggestions for teaching approaches at each level of the ecology will be
drawn from an in-depth study of 9 experienced and committed middle school PE teachers.
Discussion includes recommendations for PE teacher education.
Li, W., Rukavina, P. (2012). Including overweight or obese students in physical education: A
social ecological constraint model. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 83, 4, 570-578.
Paul Rukavina - rukavina@adelphi.edu
[266 words]