Development of educational programs through comprehensive learning aimed at improving the health and physical fitness of elementary school students

Technological advances and innovations have inadvertently promoted a more sedentary lifestyle. Lifestyles of this kind tend to involve a lack of good quality sleep and poor nutrition. This is a particularly worrisome trend in children and it is important to encourage an active lifestyle and good nutrition among this generation and instill them with positive habits. Indeed, research has found that more and more Japanese children are waking with a low basal body temperature, which can be associated with poor physical fitness. Professor Isao Kambayashi, Hokkaido University of Education (HUE), Japan, and Koji Sugo, Sapporo Elementary School, Japan, which is affiliated with HUE, are looking into the extent of the issue and what can be done to improve it, with a focus on better education. At present, little time is dedicated to the health education of elementary school children, which is not helping the situation. As such, Kambayashi and Sugo are surveying students in order to establish a better understanding of the situation and they will implement an educational programme designed to improve the health and fitness of elementary school children. The idea is that implementing the educational programme will improve the fitness levels of children as well as improving their nutrition, resulting in improved lifestyles overall. Ultimately, this should have a widespread positive impact, curbing rising sedentary lifestyles and increasing levels of obesity, with the potential for similar programmes to be introduced throughout Japan and, indeed, the world.