Health and Academic Achievement
Health and Academic Achievement

Author: Blandina Bernal-Morales

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2018-09-19

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 1789237300

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Emotional, physical and social well-being describe human health from birth. Good health goes hand in hand with the ability to handle stress for the future. However, biological factors such as diet, life experiences such as drug abuse, bullying, burnout and social factors such as family and community support at the school stage tend to mold health problems, affecting academic achievements. This book is a compilation of current scientific information about the challenges that students, families and teachers face regarding health and academic achievements. Contributions also relate to how physical activity, psychosocial support and other interventions can be made to understand resilience and vulnerability to school desertion. This book will be of interest to readers from broad professional fields, non-specialist readers, and those involved in education policy.

Educating the Student Body
Educating the Student Body

Author: Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2013-11-13

Total Pages: 503

ISBN-13: 0309283140

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Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

Principals' Perceptions of Factors Associated with the Implementation of School Wellness Policies
Principals' Perceptions of Factors Associated with the Implementation of School Wellness Policies

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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Approximately 1/3 of the children in the United States are overweight or obese. Children in Mississippi have the highest rate of obesity among all other states. The outcome of this epidemic presents an increase in poor health. To address the problems associated with overweight and obesity among children, schools in the U.S. were required to develop school wellness policies. School principals were identified as key individuals in overseeing the development and implementation of the policies. Existing research studies show a strong relationship or association between student health and academic achievement. The purpose of this research study was to investigate elementary school principals' perceptions related to the implementation of school wellness policies. The study sought to examine principals' perceptions regarding physical activity, child nutrition, health education, and general beliefs about school health policy implementation. A web-based survey was sent to 670 elementary school principals with 123 (18%) responding. The majority of the respondents were White females who had served four or more years as principals, had average enrollments of 500 students at their schools, and had school ratings of successful or high performing. Positive weak correlations were found to exist between school accountability ratings and principals' beliefs that physical activity promotes improved test scores and that physical activity and healthful nutrition promote increased school attendance. Positive weak correlations were also found between school accountability ratings and principals' beliefs that physical activity, child nutrition, and health education promote improved classroom behavior.

Communities in Action
Communities in Action

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-04-27

Total Pages: 583

ISBN-13: 0309452961

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In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Linking Health and Education for African American Students’ Success
Linking Health and Education for African American Students’ Success

Author: Nadine M. Finigan-Carr

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2017-03-16

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 1315350297

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The linkages between a student’s health and a student’s ability to learn have been well established. Children who are sick stay home; and, children at home cannot learn if they are not in school leading to increased dropout rates among other educational outcomes. However, an understanding of this concept is just the beginning of understanding how education and public health are inextricably linked. ? In light of this, Linking Health and Education for African American Students’ Success examines health disparities and education inequities simultaneously and moves beyond a basic understanding of health and education in K-12 school programs. The structural inequalities which lead to reduced academic attainment mirror the social determinants of health. Education is one of the most powerful determinants of health, and disparities in educational achievement as a result of structural inequalities closely track disparities in health. These disparities lead to both sub-standard healthcare and reduced academic attainment among children from underserved minorities in the United States, especially African Americans. ? This book discusses how this may result in children with poorer mental health outcomes; higher school dropout rates; increased risks of arrests and incarceration; higher rates of chronic diseases and mortality; and overall diminished opportunities for success, while providing suggestions as to how to address these issues. This results in an insightful read for researchers, academics and practitioners in the fields of healthcare and education.

An Investigation of Organizational Health and Student Achievement in Urban Title I Elementary Schools in Alabama
An Investigation of Organizational Health and Student Achievement in Urban Title I Elementary Schools in Alabama

Author: Lora Ann Johnson-Perry

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 93

ISBN-13:

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With the constant concern for improving student achievement, educators must be able to identify factors that will help increase student achievement, especially in urban Title I schools. Examining schools through their organizational health is a means of determining what changes could be made to improve student achievement. Organizational health is the interpersonal dynamics of students, teachers, and administrators. In this research study, the relationship between organizational health and student achievement of 26 urban Title I elementary schools in Alabama was examined. A correlational design was used to analyze the results from the electronic survey Organizational Health Index for elementary schools (OHI-E) in relation to the reading results from the schools' Stanford Achievement Test, Tenth Edition (SAT-10) of fourth grade students in urban Title I elementary schools in Alabama. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression were used to analyze data to test six null hypotheses addressing the relationships among organizational health factors and student achievement in urban Title I elementary schools. A strong correlation between overall OHI-E of Title I elementary schools and resource influence was revealed. Previous research has shown academic emphasis as the strongest predictor of student achievement. However, the findings from this study were not consistent with this body of knowledge. Teacher affiliation was found to be the most significant factor in improving student achievement. Teacher affiliation refers to a sense of friendliness and strong affiliation with the school. Teachers feel good about each other and they have a sense of accomplishment from their jobs. Teachers are committed to both their students and their colleagues. They find ways to accommodate to the routine, accomplishing their jobs with enthusiasm. The results of this study may help legislators, board members, administrators, and other stakeholders improve levels of student academic achievement.