health and physical

1.0     Introduction

Food is the most important resource for our body, it provides us energy. Not only that, it also helps our body develop, and grow. Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give the nutrients we need to maintain our health, feel good, and to have energy. These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals. Nutrition is important for everyone. But we need to have a healthy eating pattern in order to maintain our good health and well-being. It is a lifetime benefit of good health and well-being if we were to maintain healthy eating patterns. Healthy eating should start from childhood. Most research shows that most adults that are obese began from an overweight child.

Physical activities are also important for growing healthy and for development. It also plays an important role in the well-being, quality of life and health of the students. Having regular physical activities during childhood helps develops bone density, cardiovascular fitness and their strength. Benefits from being active physically, can prevent chronic diseases later in life. Also, if routine physical activities are done it can prevent children from becoming obese.

Since the 1980’s, lesson has been conducted through our curriculum in the subject “Pendidikan Jasmani dan Kesihatan”. In this subject, students were taught on healthy eating and how to perform physical activity. These two subjects are a must to be bounded together. Physical education needs to be taught in order for the students in boosting their development. It is through physical activities that children learn on how to stay fit and healthy. Besides having their body healthy, it also helps their brain to function efficiently. When the brains functions efficiently, therefore, the students will be able to think better and decreases stress. Physical education also benefits the children socially and psychologically. In a social way was when during the activities are conducted; students will be amongst groups of other students and perhaps from other races will help them attain friends. Having healthy relationship with other people will help us understand and respects their cultures and beliefs.

As stated on how it is important to have healthy eating and physical activities to be conducted side by side, where else better to start than in school, be it primary or secondary.

2.0     Analysis on current dietary habits and physical activity behaviours in SKPP(1)

An interview and observation was made with the cooperation of Puan Azizah bt Ayub, Senior Assistant of Student Affairs in Sekolah Kebangsaan Puteri Pandan (1). When asked on how are the eating habits of the students in the school, she said, observation from  her side are that, during recess, 80% of the students will buy their food from the school canteen whilst the other 20% brings home cooked food. For students that came early from home will usually take their breakfast at the school canteen. After school, for students that are picked up late either by parents or by their school transport, will buy snacks from the school canteen. She further explains that, most of the students here will bring pocket money of at least RM3 to RM5 per day. But, there are students who do not take their meals at school even during recess. When they are asked why, the answer is just they don’t have the appetite.

The students in the school prefers eating hotdogs, nuggets and French fries rather than the usual ‘kuih – muih’ consisting of curry puff, ‘pau’ and ‘seri muka’ that are sold by the school canteen. During recess, when observed, the students mostly will opt for ‘nasi lemak’ and ‘laksa’. The school canteen does sell ‘rojak buah’, ‘bihun sup’ and ‘mee goreng’.

Puan Azizah added that, the school does sell fruits at one time, but it is not a favourite between the students. So eventually, they stop selling them. But then, she asks them to substitute it with fruit drinks in order for the students to get the needed nutrition.

That is the reason why, most of the food sold, consists of what the students prefer to eat and not what they should eat.

The students during recessed, when observed does the normal activities children do. Skipping, playing games such as skipping rope, ‘tukar tiang’ and ‘teng-teng’. Puan Azizah said that the school conducts their own co-curricular activities in order to keep the children active. They will also have their co-curricular activities every Wednesday after school. Participation from the students are gratifying. Besides that, they will have “Pendidikan Jasmani dan Pendidikan Kesihatan” twice a week during lesson.

3.0     Current implementation of health and physical education in SKPP (1)

Puan Azizah explained when asked what are the implementations that are done in the school to promote healthy eating and for the students to be active in physical activities, she said that good eating habits and physical education is inserted inside the curriculum itself, ‘Proses PNP’. As referred to one KBSR text book for Year 5, there are a topic that covers on good eating habits.  Puan Azizah further explains, that the school will held a “Program 3K’ once a year. The program is an overall programme that covers the topics on health, hygiene and safety. During the held programme, they will invite lecturers from outside to give talks to the students on ingestion and on good eating habits. They will also have another programme that is done once every week. That is “Slot Keselamatan Makanan. This slot started in 2011, and the main purpose is to inform the students on what kinds of food that is safe to take. This is another effort by the government, Puan Azizah added in ensuring that the students are well aware of the food that they are taking each day, what are the goodness and also the downside of it. It also teaches the students on food poisoning and why does it occurs. For this slot, the government has provided a booklet “Nota Keselamatan Makanan” [Appendix A] on what the school should talk about each time this slot is held. The school also has an implementation schedule on healthy eating habits. The purpose is to ensure that instructions on the schedule is implemented and followed religiously throughout all the individuals in the school.

Our government has been putting efforts in promoting healthy eating in schools and setting out guidelines on how the school should implement healthy eating. The Ministry of Health has published several books on guidelines for the school to follow. Such as “Panduan Nilai Kalori 200 jenis makanan”, “Garis Panduan Pelaksanaan Program Vitamin 1Malaysia di Sekolah Rendah” and “Pengurusan Kantin di Sekolah”.

No exception for SKPP (1), Puan Azizah implemented healthy eating through these guidelines that are given by the government. “Panduan Nilai Kalori 200 jenis makanan” [Appendix B] is to advice the teachers on what and how much calories there are in different kinds of food. Also, the booklet also gives the advantages to both teachers and students on what kind of food intake that they should have that is not high in calories. From these guidelines, both teachers and students will be able to assess on their own the amount of calories on what they are eating. Furthermore, with this guideline, the school will be able to prepare proper menu that ought to be served for the students in the school.

Besides that, there are guidelines on 15 types of food that are not to be sold at school and the list of 70 types of food that are limited to be sold in school.

“Pengurusan Kantin di Sekolah” is another guideline given by the government. The purpose is to manage the cleanliness of the canteen be it on the foods or the premise itself. Puan Azizah received the new booklet on these guidelines on 18 January 2012. Besides that, Puan Azizah added the school also puts up posters all around the school about eating healthy and the goodness of it and also on the school bulletin board on health information.

When asked how and what are the roles of the teachers in the school in implementing healthy eating habits for the students, she explained that they implement it through curriculum during class schedule on “Pendidikan Jasmani dan Kesihatan”.

Back to physical education done in the school, the only implementation done is during PE lessons and on Wednesday’s during the after school’s co-curricular session.

4.0     Strength and weaknesses on the implementations done

As observed, the implementation done by the school is appropriate. Steps given by the government are followed and delivered to the students in accordance to the guidelines. But the methods done even if it is by routine, the subject are not stressed out and a child has the tendency to quickly forget. The method of having posters on school walls and put up on bulletin board is good but how often do you see a student stop to just read the notice and posters? Also, when observed at the canteen, food sold there some of them are listed under the list of food that are not encourage to be sold to students in school. Even as said by Puan Azizah, the food sold at the canteen is monitored by the school but it is not emphasized thoroughly to the canteen operators. What is seen is that, they are likely to sell food items that are profitable to them without the concern of what the children are supposed to eat. It is a good thing that the school also has an implementation schedule on good eating habits but even if the schedule is done accordingly but not emphasized, and then the goal is not achieved. The implementation is handled only by the HEM herself, maybe due to the amount of students of only 260 people [Appendix C]. Therefore the goal cannot be fully grasp. Proper documentation is not available, as the school only implement it through booklets given by the government. On the physical activity side, intensively done only on Wednesday during their co-curricular activities and during the school’s 1 Student 1 Sport session or on any other day that the students has their 30 minutes to 1 hour lesson of PE is the only physical activities that are implemented in the school. The 1 Student 1 Sport policies [Appendix D] that was implemented in schools, by the government is to be conducted alongside the normal co-curricular activities that are currently executed. This is to ensure that all school children to be active and participating in sports. The school has organized a committee for these purposes and had prepared a schedule on what is to be followed when the activity is conducted [Appendix E & F] During these sessions, the school teaches the students on the basic movement of sport games in order to develop student’s motor skill towards the game also physical activities taught in school are according to the student’s capability and age. This is to help the students acquire the needed skills to be used in any sports activity or in their daily routine throughout their life. For example teaching the students to throw balls in groups in various ways teaches them the very basic movements in volleyball or netball. Another example such as having the students walk from one end to another while balancing beanbag on their heads, is teaching them to balance their walk either for gymnastics. As in gymnastics, they will need to know on how to balance their body on a balance beam.

5.0     Suggestions on strengthening the implementation into promoting healthy eating and physical activities.

In order to promote healthy eating the school needs to take extra effort and time to emphasize the needed information and strategies to students, teachers and also canteen operators. First off they will need to set up a menu according to the food pyramid for the student as well as to make it profitable for the canteen operators. Focus more in choosing food that are rich in nutrients. Always encouraged the students to choose food that are healthy for them, such as, colourful vegetables, fruits to be substituted as snacks rather than candies and chocolates, food with less fat and sugar or to drink milk rather than drinking cordial drinks. Another way is to try using positive approach by telling the students that all kind of food can meet the needs of a balance diet. There is no good food or bad food. The key to healthy eating is in choosing and intakes of food moderately. Teach them on how to eat healthy in a simple way, for example having yogurts or milk can help in strong bone development or tell them that by eating carrots can help your eyes see well in the dark.

The current implementation is correct and what needed is to emphasize on the subject. The school need to have more talks and seminars not only within the students of the school but also together with the cooperation of the PTA, to invite parents to join in the talk. This is to make the parents aware of what healthy eating habits are and what it does on the physical growth of their child. Another way is to have a student teacher talk, where the school accommodates one period of time for the teachers to give out information’s and teaches them in depth on healthy eating rather than just relying on the subject of HE that is there in the text book. The school can also call in professional athletes to come in and give talks on benefits of physical activities and how it can be sculptured to be as a career.

The school can also make time for a field trip for the students to project school such as to “Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil” to show them the benefits of healthy eating combined with physical activities. They can make field trips to Institut Sukan Negara, where they can visit Sports Nutrition Centre. This centre provides nutrition service to national athletes including nutrition assessment, by visiting the centre; the children can catch a glimpse of what and how the athletes consume in order to be at the optimum level of health.

On the physical activity side, the school focus on the 1 Student 1 Sport policy is a good step towards good health for the students, but the time is short and after school, most children will be tired after long day of school since morning. What the school can do is to make time in the morning for 10 – 30 minutes twice or thrice a week just to have a simple aerobics or exercise to freshen up the students besides just having PE lessons that are in the syllabus.

Schools are to have a canteen committee that consists of school teachers including canteen operators’ need to play their role in upholding the trust of making sure that healthy food are served to the students with the District Education Department monitoring that they abide to the regulations provided. 

6.0     Conclusion

When combined with being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight by eating well is an excellent way to help our body stay strong and healthy. In physical activities, all ages and abilities have a range of benefits offered as part of living a healthy lifestyle. The Ministry of Health, from time to time has been putting in effort on finding all sorts of latest methods and approach to organizing health promotion including conducting campaigns on living healthy that is more society friendly together with having active participation in all of activities conducted in order to sculpt a healthy and active citizens. Therefore as a medium, educational institute, with the help of teachers and parents will need to realize this vision. Children has the tendency to follow what the adults do, so, in order to set up good examples, we have to learn and make use of what is in healthy eating and to do physical activities as a routine in our daily lives.







REFERENCES
Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity: School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activities. (http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/npao/strategies.htm) 

Buku Panduan 1 Murid 1 Sukan, downloaded from (http://www.moe.gov.my) on 16th March 2012
Nota Peringatan Keselamatan Makanan downloaded from (http://fsq.moh.gov.my) on 16th March 2012.
Panduan Nilai Kalori Jenis Makanan downloaded from (http://www.moe.gov.my) on 16th March 2012.
Puan Azizah binti Ayub (GPK HEM) Sekolah Kebangsaan Puteri Pandan 1, Kuala Lumpur, interview conducted on 7th March, 2012 at 12.30 p.m.
Puan Som binti Bohdin (GB) Sekolah kebangsaan Puteri Pandan 1, Kuala Lumpur, interview conducted on 7th March, 2012 at 1.20 p.m.
Puan Sa’diah binti Hj. Ismail (GPK KO-KU) Sekolah Kebangsaan Puteri Pandan 1, Kuala Lumpur, interview conducted on 7th March at 1.40 p.m.