What Should Be Done On The Local Level?

To bridge this gap between what needs to be done and what is actually being done, the government needs to realize the problems being caused by the lack of Physical Education in public schools. Although in some schools there might be satisfactory physical education programs, these programs need to be restructured in a way that benefits kids for their future. At Kalama Intermediate School, teachers started to use the video game Dance Dance Revolution to promote a healthy lifestyle. By encouraging alternative ways to get active besides sports and team activities, kids can find what method is most fun for them and utilize it for their childhood and future. Every child is different, and there will never be one universal program that will fit every kid, but ideally kids could benefit from a program that allows them to find a way to become active that they enjoy.

The government also needs to support specialized P.E. teachers in elementary school classrooms, which is something that public schools are lacking now. Helen Altonn, a Honolulu Star Bulletin reported, reported that:

“Every high school and middle school has a certified physical education teacher, but there are no specialists at the elementary schools. Classroom teachers teach P.E. in the elementary schools.”

The government should step in and add P.E. specialists to the faculty so elementary students can start physical education from a young age which could help advocate a healthy lifestyle and prevent obesity. School teachers only have to go through a few workshops on physical education, but most are not fit to teach P.E. If Hawaii wants an effective P.E. program for elementary school students, certified teachers need to be hired. In the previous Honolulu Star-Bulletin article, it states that there is only one P.E. teacher for every 1400 students in public schools. By cutting this ratio down, the physical education in Hawaii would definitely improve.
On a societal level, the Hawaii State Department of Education should have a planned physical education program throughout the state. This should help bring consistency throughout the state so all schools have a program that benefits the students the best. Since public school do not have the hiring power for more teachers, the way they can help alleviate this problem at their level is to insure that school have adequate and effective programs for their students. To help advocate for improved physical education programs you should e-mail Department of Education officials to help make the problem known.

Opportunity cost is relevant to this issue because spending money on physical education is an opportunity cost and the state does not have enough money to spare for it. The state has their priority set and needs to put money into factors such as teacher salaries, school maintenance and technology. Since the state’s money is limited, they need to look where to spend their money first which usually puts physical education at the bottom of the list which makes it an opportunity cost.

Although Honolulu is ranked in the top two in fittest cities, these changes to the physical education programs are necessary to maintain a healthy city. One implication that would happen if no action is taken would be the increase in obesity. Even if Hawaii seems like one of the top cities when considering how fit people are, this study included adults also. Hawaii is ranked 29th out of 50 states and Washington D.C. in obesity between the ages of 10-17. Without support from the state, Hawaii’s dissatisfactory ranking could drop even further. If more P.E. teachers are hired and effective programs are created, Hawaii could combat childhood obesity and rank among the nation’s best.