Tu Fo-ting (涂佛廷), principal of Chuchiang Elementary School in Hualien, is concerned about his students' health. He finds that more and more of them are over weight and generally out of shape. Their parents drive them to and from school. "They don't even walk any more," he complains. Yi Ching-chen (伊慶箴), principal of the Provincial Chiayi Senior Technical School in central Taiwan, feels much the same way. In 1990, the seniors at his school were given physical exams which revealed that 80 percent were myopic, and one out of every ten suffered from hypertension.
Not only educators are concerned about the apparent decline in students' physical fitness. Health consciousness is spreading throughout society. But the issue has long been ignored. In China's traditional agrarian society, a chubby child was considered an indicator of prosperity, while a tanned, well-toned body was an indication of laboring class origin. Although attitudes are beginning to change, the affluent and sedentary lifestyle especially common in the cities has produced a flabbier, less fit population, especially among the younger generations.
A series of surveys conducted by the Department of Health found that the rate of obesity in children has increased dramatically over the past two decades. According to an islandwide survey of primary schoolchildren conducted in 1970, 2.4 percent of boys aged 6 to 12 were more than 20 percent over their optimum weight based on age, sex, and height. By 1986, that figure had grown to 16 percent.
Healthier and happier, but limited spaces to play--kids at Hsimen primary school in Taipei work up a sweat with one of the best exercises for cramped sorroundings.
Other surveys have produced even more alarming results. Hung Chien-te (洪建德), director of the Diabetes Center at Taipei Municipal Yangming Hospital found in a 1989-1991 survey that 25 percent of elementary school children in the Shihlin area of Taipei were at least 20 percent over their optimum weight. The study, which focused on children from the fifth through the twelfth grades, reveals that the younger the age group, the higher the percentage of overweight children. One in every five students also had a relatively high cholesterol level. But why are Taiwan's children becoming so unfit?
Today's consumer-driven society, influenced as it is by international trends, has been blamed for contributing to this problem. At the same time, it is also partly responsible for reshaping traditional notions of physical fitness and beauty. Jane Fonda's video workouts are as well known in Taipei as they are in Chicago, and they have probably have inspired some of the aerobics programming seen every morning on local television. Health spas, aerobics classes, and a variety of other health-oriented service industries are catching on, and with the relatively high standard of living, many people see such services as an integral part of quality living in urban areas. Many parents and teachers are also beginning to think that chubby is not necessary cute.
Another contributing factor is certainly the intense social pressure put on children to perform well academically. Good grades indicate that a child will be more competitive in the senior high school and college entrance examinations, and admission to higher education is considered the best route to success. For this reason, parents want their children to spend the maximum amount of time preparing to handle the fierce competition for the limited number of places in the best institutions. As a result, students are forced to lead sedentary lives, their noses buried in books. Physical exercise is generally considered a waste of important study time.
Take average day in the life of Taipei students, for example. The day begins at seven, when they board the bus for school. The kids sit through a full day of classes without an exercise break. After school, they ride the bus home for dinner, or else stop to grab a burger and fries be fore going to a cram school for additional classes. The late night hour., are spent with more study before going to bed. Such a schedule is typical, and it does not leave students much time for exercise. "They are mentally and physically stunted before they grow up," says Alfred I. H. Chien (簡曜輝), director of the Department of Physical Education.
Fat cells are forever—swimming regular laps will help replace fat with muscle, especially important at an early age.
Policymakers have thus far shown relatively little interest in the problem. In the late 1970s, the Department of Physical Education developed a plan to promote a program in schools that would have required a minimum amount of exercise for students. The plan was dropped by the Executive Yuan, and physical education is still not compulsory in Taiwan's schools. Since physical prowess has no place in the joint university entrance exam, students commonly take an extra math, science, or English class instead of opting for a PE class or sports. Teachers and coaches generally accommodate such schedule adjustments because they realize how important it is for students to get into good high schools and colleges.
Alfred I. H. Chien also attributes the problem to the scarcity of recreational facilities and the island's high population density. Living space has been compressed to the point where a couch-potato existence has become the norm for most urbanites. Island residents, it seems, are more likely to collapse in front of the television than to go outside for any form of exercise.
The government policy on athletics has done little to improve the situation. Hosting competitions for talented athletes has been emphasized at the expense of a general physical education program. As a result, basic physical fitness and the cultivation of sportsmanship among students are generally neglected. Legislator Tsai Bih-hwang (蔡璧煌) points out that almost 50 percent of the US$92 million budget for sports in fiscal 1992 is going toward training talented athletes by the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee and the ROC Sports Federation. Most of the remaining funds have been earmarked for the construction of public sports facilities. Clearly, not much is left for developing physical education programs.
What, me exercise? Prevailing negative attitudes about building up a good sweat are among the greatest obstacles to better physical fitness. Outdoor activities need parental support—and participation.
Parents, generally speaking, rarely insist that their children get more exercise. They have long-range plans for their children, and the most important short range preparation is high academic performance, often at the expense of physical fitness. And typically, when students are studying deep into the night, their mothers are serving them rich food to keep their energy up. Though well-intentioned, this widespread practice—which is also rein forced by food commercials on television—is contributing to the weight problem among today's children.
Hung Chien-te of Taipei Municipal Yangming Hospital, points out that everyone has a generally richer diet than a decade ago because of Taiwan's affluence. The higher consumption of meat has in particular led to a rise in the level of cholesterol among children. Affluence has also brought a change in eating habits. Old favorites such as noodles with greens, guts, and beancurd, which are low in fat, are still popular, but hamburgers, fried chicken, and french fries have caught on as well. Moreover, students have much larger allowances, and much of it is spent on sweet buns, cakes, candy, and other junk foods which are the munchies of choice for kids everywhere.
Hung's survey confirms the apparent link between affluence and obesity. Given the typical lack of exercise and a high-calorie diet, it should come as no surprise that his statistics show that nine out of ten elementary schoolchildren are not physically fit, and most dislike strenuous exercise.
Pool sharks with problems—limited living space, a high population density, and a shortage of athletic facilities make it difficult for kids to get adequate exercise.
But not all prosperous, newly industrialized areas of the world have the same problem. Singapore, for example, is one of the most athletically competitive, according to a 1991 Swiss sports competition report. Singaporeans have realized the importance of cultivating an interest in sports early in life, and their schools have implemented a wide-ranging program of such sports as squash, tennis, swimming, and yachting.
Elementary school principal Tu Fo-ting has his own advice. Teachers should not be afraid of sunshine and perspiration, and parents should spend more time with their children outdoors. He insists on having his students take long walks. "Today, when students go on a field trip, they take a tour bus," he complains. "When they arrive at their destination, they eat huge box lunches, take a few snapshots, and then climb back on the bus for the sleepy ride home. What kind of outing is that?"
Prevailing attitudes about exercise are still the biggest obstacles to winning the war against nab. But traditional aversions to strenuous exercise are finally being supplanted by new notions of fitness and health. Parents and educators are beginning to realize that exercise is just as essential to a child's development as academics. Though this new awareness is reflected in the government's support of competitive team sports for children such as baseball, there is still room for considerably more physical education in the school system. It's time now to get on the ball and turn the situation around. After all, there's nothing to lose but a few extra pounds.