How schools plan to elevate fitness level of students in post-COVID-19 era

The COVID-19-induced lockdown and the subsequent decision to educate students virtually became a norm for almost two years. Students of all age groups were confined indoors due to the deadly pandemic.

The schools across the country reopened after two years of the gap as the students returned once the threat of infection subsided.

Virtual classes in the confines of their homes ensured the students were least impacted by the coronavirus but staying indoors for almost two years with little or no physical and or sporting activity rendered several students physically weak, a survey conducted recently showed.

Orchids The International School organised a Body Mass Index (BMI) survey of students between Grades 1 and 10 at its campuses across India in the post-pandemic era and received shocking results. Almost 50 per cent of students were either above BMI or below BMI, which plainly means they do not meet the normal standards.

To focus on the fitness and health of each student, Orchids The International School launched a 'Get Fit' programme. The programme focuses on the nutrition, physical and mental health improvement of every child and aids in their overall development in the post-pandemic era.

Nitin Chand Rao, official of the shhool, while responding to MyKhel's queries lamented that obesity is on the rise in kids as they are now hooked to mobile phones for entertainment and hardly go outside for physical activities.

Rao also revealed that under the programme, even the parents are being sensitised about inculcating healthy food habits in kids from an early age and encouraging them to pick up a sport in school.

Here are the excerpts:

Question: What are the common problems kids are facing due to obesity these days? What are the major causes of it?

Ans: The common problems faced by kids due to obesity are:

1 Low Energy: Children get tired easily and the endurance of the body will be very low.

2. Sleep apnea: Children who are obese are more likely to develop sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing is interrupted during sleep.

3. Muscle and joint pain: Excess weight may lead to problems in join and trouble mobility

4. Shortness of breath while running or doing any physical activity which in a later stage can lead to asthma.

5. Low self Esteem and social isolation: Children who are obese may experience low self-esteem and social isolation due to a negative body at that age and stigma.

Major causes of obesity are as follows:

a. Lack of physical activity: Children today, do not indulge in rigorous physical activities. They are glued to digital screens and idle away hours in front of mobile phones.

b. Negligience to traditional food: Parents in the current generation fail in imposing traditional food systems at home and are forced to go ahead with the child's choice. Traditional diet includes lots of millet, and cereals which have lots of fibres and nutrients. Kids today, are fascinated towards instant food and consume more junk on a daily basis

Due to the consumption of excessive junk, kids are undernourished today. Processed, junk food increases their chances of becoming obese, which upsurges their risk of type 2 diabetes.

Question: What kind of health conditions were noticed in the kids during the health check-up?

Ans: Weight issues (obese and underweight) due to bad dietary habits. Very sensitive to meeting new people. BMI is above or below the standard number.

Question: How does physical health affect the mental health of a child?

Ans: Yes, it will affect the mental strength and also reduce the confidence level of the child. If they are not active, it will result in mental boredom and they get exhausted instantly.

Question: How are parents being sensitised about sending kids for outdoor activities once again?

Ans: A lot of realisation has happened of late, they are tired of the odd practices children had developed during covid. It's evident to see virtuous support and encouragement from parents for various sports activities.

Question: Kids these days are generally hooked to mobile screens. What are the possible ways the 'Get Fit' program is suggesting to draw them out?

Ans: Since Covid-19, mobile has hooked up with kids. We have started various physical activities like Get Fit and Mini-Olympics. We train students in various cardio and fitness exercises and urge the students to practice them at home. This will improve a kid's fitness and lead to reduce screen time.

Question: Will the Get fit program help the school to identify a child's talent in sports at an early stage and how?

Ans: Yes, every day we are doing activities like strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. This will be helpful for students to improve their performance in physical activities.

The day starts with physical exercise and each day includes a different set of sport cardio, muscle strength, and warmup exercises. Special attention and special training are being given to each child and, the moment we understand the child is inclined to a particular sport, we facilitate the best training and platforms.

Question: Kids these days develop unhealthy food habits at an early stage in life. What solution the nutritionists are coming up with to counter this menace?

Ans: By bringing parent awareness. Parents can create a healthy food environment at home, by talking about healthy eating in positive ways, and by being a healthy eating role model (this will show children that healthy eating is important).

Parent workshops are being held. We have dedicated nutritionists who will interact with parents and strictly advise diet plans to students.

Student awareness programs are being held. In particular, nutrition education in school is the best method for enhancing students' eating habits and promoting healthier diets and lifestyles. Nutrition education in school will tell a student about the impact of healthy eating.

Question: What sort of outdoor sports interest kids these days in school? Any specific change are you seeing or does the general psyche of Indian households still remain the same in terms of picking up a sport?

Ans: The students, these days, are interested in outdoor sports majorly like football, and basketball and some are interested in swimming as well. Inclination towards sports is developed in India (as one grows), compared to an early stage. However, kids, these days, have lots of awareness about sports. They have their own ideas of picking up sports of their choice. We can give suggestions to them regarding their physique and mindset.

Question: Is the current generation of kids more focused and/or committed to building a career in sports as the country has better infrastructure now?

Ans: Yes. The government has created a lot of competitions like Khelo India, which is helping. A lot of people are getting appointed to jobs and reputed colleges through the sports quota. All this is helping 1 out of 10 kids to show a keen interest in building a career in sports.

Question: Does your school impose any restrictions on eating junk food on campus?

Ans: Yes, there is a lunch box menu provided by the nutritionist which includes all healthy food according to the dietary requirement of the students. All the parents have been told to follow this menu plan. Junk is strictly banned at the school campus and parents are warned if their children bring it to the campus. Alternate healthy food will be given if the student brings junk.