Guest Post – Rob James, Does Obesity Prevent Productive Thought?

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waistsmallObesity is a serious problem within the UK, with the BBC estimating that about 60.8 per cent of the adult population, and 31.1 per cent of children, suffering from some form of obesity. Reasons for the obesity epidemic can be found in poor diet, too much fast food, and a lack of exercise. Obesity can lead to serious health problems, from heart disease to diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as to increased stress levels. In this context, it’s worth briefly exploring whether obesity prevents productive thought, and how this is a particular problem for education.

Being obese has been identified in studies as contributing to problems with concentration and lower academic achievement. Reviewing a study looking at the relationship between physical activity and academic performance, Byrd has argued that ‘students that maintained a higher level of physical activity

Being obese has been identified in studies as contributing to problems with concentration and lower academic achievement.

maintained higher grades and learned at a faster rate than those students who were less physically active’. Other studies have noted that obesity can result in complications within the brain that result in lower maths and spelling scores, as well as issues in terms of processing information, with Rebecca Smith recently highlighting the serious long term problems suffered in schools as the result of obesity.

The impact of early childhood and adolescent obesity can be extended here to how obese adults become less productive in the workplace, whether as the result of poor concentration resulting from appetite and stress, as well as through obesity-related health problems that lead to time off. A recent survey by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research presented evidence for cognitive impairment for obesity in a sample of 6,400 people aged 35 to 50. Looking at these results, blogger Arkar from Allvoices identified how obese adults experience ‘22.5 percent more rapid decrease in cognition and memory than others’ considered to be a healthy weight.

boytouchingtoesWhat, then, are some solutions that can be attempted for reducing obesity in schools and young people, in order to lower the chances of future problems? Among the clearest solutions is the need for better education within schools about nutrition, as well as more programs dedicated to physical exercise and fitness within schools. Healthy eating schemes, and improving school meals, are also vital to ensuring that children do not get into bad habits in school. However, schools can arguably only go so far in providing the right kind of advice on diet and exercise – this has to be combined with healthy eating at home, and parental encouragement of exercise.

References

Anon. ‘Obesity,’ BBC. April 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/obesity.shtml. Last Accessed: 12 Nov 2012

Anon. ‘Obesity Linked to Reduced Productivity At Work’. Medical News Today. 09 January 2008. – http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/93402.php. Last Accessed: 12 Nov 2012.

Arkar. ‘Research finds obesity affects brain, decreases cognition and memory.’ Allvoices. 26 Aug 2012. http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/12845808-research-finds-that-obesity-affects-the-brain-decreases-cognition-and-memory. Last Accessed: 12 Nov 2012

Byrd, Jimmy. ‘The Impact of Physical Activity and Obesity on Academic Achievement Among Elementary Students.’ Connexions. 30 Mar 2007. http://cnx.org/content/m14420/latest/ Last Accessed: 12 Nov 2012.

Smith, Rebecca. ‘Obesity linked to poor academic performance’. The Telegraph. 03 Sep 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9515864/Obesity-linked-to-poor-academic-performance.html. Last Accessed: 12 Nov 2012.

– This article was written by Rob James, a secondary school teacher in the UK. He found his job through GSL Education providers of the best teacher jobs in London. Over the years he has had many different roles. Rob likes to blog about the different aspects of inspiring young minds.