Jon Whitener

Purpose
The purpose of this proposal is to prove that prolonged sitting can lead to long-term health risks
in children and young adults in school, and suggest a method of research to do so.
Summary
An increasing issue in todays world is obesity and lack of exercise in children and adults
alike. Though obesity can cause problems for older adults, it can be much more dangerous for
younger people. Children who are overweight are at an increased risk to suffer from depression,
cardio issues, and numerous other diseases associated with poor diet and a lack of exercise.
Because some physicians only want to prescribe medication for these problems, people are not
motivated to get up and be active.
Introduction
This proposal will address the issue of health problems in students that are associated
with a lack of physical activity throughout the course of a day. Since the invention of the
television, video games, and other forms of entertainment media, children and adults both have
stopped going outside and started sitting on the couch for long periods of time. This would be
okay if children spent most of their time playing outside, but unfortunately they are sitting
around at school all day too. Because children in todays world are sitting and watching
television and eating junk food more than they are doing physical activity, which has caused
many health problems for them. These young people are not getting enough exercise and
physical activity at school which is causing noticeable health problems in millennials and other
generations. The problem is, school takes up the majority of a young persons normal day and

they are not moving around enough at school. Young people need more activity integrated into
their school day to make them healthier and more successful.

Annotated Bibliography
D. Gilson, Nicholas , W. Burton, Nicola , G.Z. van Uffelen Jannique J. Brown Wendy (2011)
Occupational sitting time: employees? Perceptions of health risks and intervention
strategies. Health Promotion Journal of Australia 22, 38-43.
The authors of this study (Australian Researchers) set out to prove that slothfulness in
the workplace, as opposed to school, leads to health issues, and they surveyed 20 male and
female government workers about what health concerns they associated with the lack of physical
activity at work. The results of the survey showed that the employees linked problems such as
fatigue, lack of motivation, and even some diseases to sitting at work all day.

Janssen, and LeBlanc. "Systematic Review of the Health Benefits of Physical Activity and Fitness in
School-aged Children and Youth." International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical
Activity. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
As opposed to all the other studies, this one from the International Journal of Behavioral
Nutrition and Physical activity deals with the link between physical activity and positive health
benefits in children and adults. Though the topic is about the health risks associated with a lack
of activity in young people, this study reinforces the thesis by proving that more physical activity
is associated with better health.

Owen, N., A. Bauman, and W. Brown. "Too Much Sitting: A Novel and Important Predictor of
Chronic Disease Risk?" Bjsm.bjm.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.

The authors of this article, all of whom write for the British Journal of Sports Medicine
claim that physicians in the modern world want to find health in a pill, when in fact they
should be recommending exercise to their patients. As opposed to the study in the Journal of
Australia, this article focuses on how little bits of exercise may be good for older people, but
younger people require more intensive and frequent exercise to minimize long-term health risks.

Tremblay, Mark. Systematic Review of Sedentary Behaviour and Health Indicators in Schoolaged Children and Youth. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical
Activity. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.

This study was conducted by researchers for the International Journal of Behavioral
Nutrition and Physical Activity in order to link health problems in children ages 5-17 like
obesity, fatigue, lack of motivation, and lack of self-esteem to a lack of physical activity in
school. Unlike some of the other studies, the results this one reflect more on a combination of
physical issues and mental issues that were found to be the result of sedentary behavior in
children rather than just one or the other.

Proposed Plan of Work

In order to prove that a lack of physical activity can be a detriment to an individuals
health and success, 4 people (2 males, 2 females) ages 15-18 should be selected to undergo
observation. One male and one female should be given a writing prompt which is to be
completed in four hours in a silent room with one 10-minute break after two hours have passed.
The other male and female should be given the same writing prompt and four hours to complete

it, but the second group will have four 10-minute breaks after each hour. Both groups are free to
do as the please during break time, but while working, cell phones, music, or any other form of
entertainment is prohibited. After the time is up, an English professor who will be paid $100 will
grade the papers and decide which group scored higher.

Qualifications/ Personnel
I have always been interested in an active lifestyle which is not found in most classrooms and
jobs. I want like to change the way education is taught and jobs are performed and increase
productivity in both. I have been recently standing other than sitting, and have seen major
differences in my daily routine.

Budget and Schedule

The study would take about 7 hours to complete: 4 hours, 40 minutes for the writing prompt, and
about 2 hours to review data and reach a conclusion. The study would cost $500, $100 for each
participant, and $100 for the professor.

Proposal
The issue of child obesity and obesity in general have become widespread concerns in the
United States over the last few years. Children and adults alike go the majority of the day

without doing any exercise of any kind because of school and work, which is one of the leading
causes of this issue. Even though the issue of insufficient exercise exists for people of all ages, it
can be more problematic for children in the long-run if they do not become more active. Children
are still in the growing stage of their life so if they acquire health issues from a young age, it will
only continue to become worse as they grow older. The issue at this point is how to implement
enough activity for young people so that they can remain healthy, while also providing other
important parts of life like school and productive hobbies. Young people need more opportunities
to expel the energy they build up during the course of a school day, and they will benefit from an
increase in every-day activities.
Since the invention and popularity of forms of media such as television and video-games,
youth have diverted their attention away from using their imagination and playing outside and
are instead burying their faces in television screens and junk food at an alarming rate. In fact,
because of this problem, initiatives have been started by numerous entertainment organizations
such as Nickelodeon and the National Basketball Association to help promote fitness, especially
to the youth of America. Nickelodeon went as far as to start an annual Day of Play in which
the station went off the air for three hours to encourage kids to get off the couch and go outside.
Though these organizations have addressed the problem and offered a solution to the masses, it is
still an issue that will take time and patience to resolve.
The Journal of Australia set out to prove that there is a direct relationship between a lack
of physical activity and poor health. They surveyed 20 male and female government employees
and asked them questions regarding how much time they spend sitting, doing physical activity,
how happy they are, and how healthy they are. The results of the survey showed that the majority
of the employees who were interviewed felt that because they did not get enough physical

activity at work, their health was suffering and some reported that they lacked motivation
(Gilson). This proves that a full day of work with no or limited breaks to stands up to walk
around can be detrimental not only to an individuals physical health, but also their mental
health. If adults are not motivated physically, they will not be motivated mentally, and the same
can be said for children who are still in school. If children get limited physical activity
throughout the day, it can cause them to develop unhealthy habits and thoughts. Though this
study does not pertain particularly to children, it still proves that sedentary behavior is not
healthy for anyone, not even adults.
The British Journal of Sports Medicine Published a study discussing the effects the lack
of activity has on children and adults alike. Unlike the previous study, this one includes the
struggles children can face if they do not get time each day to let off some steam. The results of
this research study showed that though physical activity can be beneficial for anyone, people of
different ages should dose their activity in different ways. Elderly people who do not get enough
exercise can benefit from at least an hour of low stress activity, but because they are naturally not
in the best shape of their lives, it may not be good for them to do too much more than that.
Younger people, on the other hand, require at least 150 minutes of exercise that is typically more
strenuous in order to remain active and healthy (Owen). This does not mean that older people do
not need physical activity at work, but it does mean that students who are still in school need
more physical activity integrated into the school day. If the youth does not move around more at
school, they could end up like the adults who are sedentary and in poor health.
Though the previous two studies linked physical health issues to sedentary behavior, the
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity put an emphasis on the
mental health problems that can develop from the issue at hand. Though the study outlined some

major physical diseases that can develop from sedentary behavior such as osteoporosis, it also
made the observation that mental health disorders can also result from sitting around (Tremblay).
Whether it be a direct result of slothfulness or a reaction to a physical disorder, mental health
issues have been known to show up in increasing amounts of teens and adults who are in school.
The mental disadvantages that can come from a lack of activity are just as detrimental to ones
health as the physical problems because the two feed off of each other. Emotional stress leads to
physical stress and vice versa, which means that the only way to relieve the pain is to take a
break from sitting all day and get active. If young people do not have the opportunity to do this,
the world of the future will see an even more unhealthy populous than that of the present.
As opposed to all of the other studies, the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition
and Physical Activity also published a study that conversely linked increased physical activity
with long-term health benefits. This is important because it helps prove that sedentary behavior
is detrimental to an individuals physical and mental health. The study said that the more activity
a person does, the more long-term benefits they will see because of it. As long as a person does
not work out too strenuously, they should notice that an increase in activity will make them feel
better in the long-run (Janssen). This being said if schools integrate more activity into their daily
schedules, they would find that their students are more motivated, happy, and healthy. However,
if students ages 5-17 continue to go to school for 7 hours a day doing work that only requires
them to sit in a desk, they will notice short-term and long-term health problems that could follow
them forever.
In order to prove that sedentary behavior reaps health disadvantages and activity
promotes good health, an experiment should be conducted to test the short term benefits of
breaks for physical activity. Four people (2 males, 2 females) should be selected at random and

each paid $100 to complete a writing prompt. Group 1, One male and one female will be given
four hours to complete the prompt with one ten-minute break after two hours. Group 2, the other
male and female will also have four hours to complete the prompt, but they will have four, tenminute breaks after each hour. During each break, the subjects are allowed to do whatever they
want. Each participant will be paid $100 to complete the prompt, regardless of how well they do
on it. At the end of the prompt, the papers will be read and graded by a University English
professor (who will be paid $100) for substance, grammar, and ability to follow directions. The
goal of the experiment is to determine whether the students who received four breaks score
higher than the students who received one break.
If Group 2 scores higher on the prompt than Group 1, the hypothesis that more physical
activity will benefit students and make them more successful will be upheld. If not, the
experiment should be repeated with more subjects taking the prompt to collect more data. Based
on the research studies discussed, the clear answer seems to be that schools should provide more
physical activities for their students if they want them to be happy, healthy, and successful.
Despite this, the only way to come to a conclusion is for an individual to conduct an experiment
and come to an answer.