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Noah Shaver
Ms. Caruso
UWRT 1103
10 November 2016
Defense Paper: Childhood physical activity and its effects on health
Obesity, joint failure, myopia, diabetes; all of these listed conditions are major blows to
the physical health of a person, but who knew they could be prevented by one small act. This
small act is physical activity, and the earlier someone starts, the better off they are. Throughout
the research conducted to complete this project there were many discrepancies, but the one thing
that all sources agreed on was that most young kids dont get enough exercise (Hendrick). So
how many is most? According to Bill Hendrick of WebMD.com (p. 3), about 74 percent of the
children in this country arent getting enough exercise on a daily basis. The question then arises,
what can we do about it?
In order to get children outside and get them physically active, we must educate them on
why sedentary behavior is detrimental to their health. This is precisely what my genretized piece
the genretized piece in question seeks to do. My This genretized piece is a small comic strip that
attempts to motivate children to get outside. This comic strip could be placed in the classrooms
of children to assure that they see it nearly every day. My The comic strip basically shows two
children that see an older woman in a wheelchair, they wonder what is wrong with her, so she
tells them she has bad joints because of obesity due to lack of exercise, so they vow to not end up
the same and then start to get physically active. This is a very short comic, but the attention span
of the intended audience (elementary school students) must be considered. If long text boxes and

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complicated words were used, I dont believe the message would be conveyed properly; it has to
be short and sweet. I also believe that the comic is the right choice for this genretized piece
because it is something that is interesting to kids. If I would have pasted a scholarly articles
were posted on the walls of their classrooms, they would simply disregard it, but they will take
the time to look at a comic. Overall, I believe the choice to create a small comic strip was the
best choice for the circumstances.
As I mentioned before, the main issue that the woman in the comic has is that her joints
are worn to the point that she cant walk. According to a Harvard Mens Health Article titled
Exercise and Your Joints (p. 6), there is a direct relationship between the amount of arthritis in
joints and the amount of physical activity. The article says Healthy Body; Healthy Joints. And
how does someone get a healthy body? Exercise. The woman is also wearing glasses, which is
due to her development of myopia (nearsightedness). Myopia is also a condition that can be
developed from sedentary behavior, and research has shown that time spent outdoors may be a
simple strategy by which to reduce the risk of developing myopia (Sherwin, p. 2141). The last
aspect in the comic that I wanted to back with research was the gender of the children. As
children get older it is clear to see the gap between physical activity in differing genders. Simply
put, girls are less likely to meet physical activity recommendations than boys (Lenhart, p. 1).
Since we must overcome this gap to get all children involved in physical activity, I chose to
include a girl in my comic. This girl is the main voice in the comic, and it is her initiative that
leads the pair to exercise. This girl will defy the statistic of 27.9% of girls were sedentary as
compared to 10.6% of boys and show the female viewers of the comic that it is possible for
them to be physically active (Lenhart, p. 2). After children see all of these things, they will

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understand that no matter what gender, race, or background you come from, it is possible to be
physically active and have a healthy lifestyle.
It is imperative that children are educated early in their elementary stage in regard to
physical activity. They must be told that it is available to anyone, that it could be considered a
human right, and that it is actually fun. Hopefully by seeing something as simple as a comic on
the wall, children will be lead to explore the realm of physical activity and find something they
really enjoy. After all, a statistic such as 38% (of parents) say there is not enough time in the
day to achieve a healthy lifestyle for their kids is not acceptable (Hendrick, p. 6). Make time.
Take action. Be the change.

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Resources (New) Works Cited (New)

-Hendrick, Bill. "Most Young Kids Don't Get Enough Exercise." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web.
03 Nov. 2016.
-Lenhart, Clare M. "Gender Disparity in Structured Physical Activity." Hindawi.com. ISRN
Public Health, 7 June 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.
-Publications, Harvard Health. "Exercise and Your Joints." Harvard Health. Harvard Medical
School, n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.
Resources (Old) Works Cited (Old)
-Alfono, Kathleen, Dr. "The Benefits of Outdoor Play." Fisher-Price. Mattel, n.d. Web. 03 Oct.
2016.
-Bailey, Richard, Dr. "Girls' Participation in Physical Activities and Sports." GIRLS
PARTICIPATION IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND SPORTS: BENEFITS,
PATTERNS, INFLUENCES AND WAYS FORWARD Girls Participation in Physical
Activites and Sports: Benefits, Patterns, Influences, and ways forward(n.d.): 1-30. World
Health Organization. ICSSPE. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
-Brussoni, Mariana. "What Is the Relationship between Risky Outdoor Play and Health in

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Children?" Pro Quest. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, 1 June 2015. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
-Drenowatz, Clemens. "Influence of Socio-economic Status on Habitual Physical Activity."
BMC Public Health. BioMed Central, 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
-Kerr, Jacqueline. "The Relationship between Outdoor Activity and Health in Older Adults
Using GPS." Pro Quest. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, 1 Dec. 2012. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
-"Outdoor Dangers and Safety Tips." Parents. Child Magazine, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
-Reynolds, Anne. "The Physical Impact of Technology on Children." LIVESTRONG.COM.
livestrong.com. EHow Health, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
-Sherwin, Justin C. "The Association between Time Spent Outdoors and Myopia in Children and
Adolescents." Science Direct. Elsevier, 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.

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