The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Grant to aid exercise studies
Grant of $8,000 comes from Saline foundation for schools
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 24, 2008
Saline High School human physiology teacher Juan Lauchu can rattle off alarming statistics about the state of health among today's teenagers.
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He sees a problem. One that's growing.
Teenage obesity is at its highest level in U.S. history, according to the Centers for Disease Control, which estimates 15 percent of teens today are obese as compared to just 5 percent in the 1960s.
Type II diabetes among children and teenagers has increased at such a startling rate, some health officials are calling it an epidemic.
Nearly one-third of children use dietary supplements such as multivitamins and minerals, according to a survey by the National Institutes of Health, and almost 5 percent of teenagers say they use potentially unhealthy products, such as protein powders and shakes, Creatine, amino acids and human growth hormones, according to a survey conducted by the journal Pediatrics.
The CDC reports steroid use among high school students is up 62 percent since the early 1990s.
Overuse injuries are increasing as more children become involved in organized and athletic activities, according to the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness.
Those are the problems. Lauchu is committed to finding ways to provide some solutions.
"There are a lot of people telling kids these are a problem," said Lauchu, "but there are few solutions. There has got to be a better way to teach students about their body."
Lauchu is at the forefront of a movement that has schools looking at nutrition and science curricula as preventative medicine.
Using an $8,000 grant from the Foundation for Saline Area Schools, Lauchu is prepared to launch a new exercise physiology course at the high school.
"It will allow for hands-on instruction," said Lauchu, who teaches a nutrition course. "Education on nutrition is helping as an intervention; now we'll tackle exercise."
Lauchu used the grant money to purchase a treadmill and other equipment, such as a Bodygem, a hand-held device that measures metabolism. The equipment allows Lauchu to provide students a more clinical setting for their studies.
"The students will learn about and be able to see the effects of calories on their bodies," said Lauchu, who has worked as a personal trainer in the past. "It really changes the students' understanding of their bodies."
Lauchu's designs to create an exercise physiology curriculum began about six years ago when a couple students came to him asking to learn more about exercise. He found a textbook and created some labs for an independent study course that appealed at first to athletes looking to improve their performance.
"I tell my students that an educated athlete is going to be a better athlete because they understand what's happening in their bodies," Lauchu said.
That message resonated with John Ogar and Amir Rad, two 17-year-old seniors who through independent study are studying exercise physiology with Lauchu.
"There's a lack of knowledge among kids," Ogar said. "Your mind is you best weapon in your scheme for good health. It really is a shame to see our peers - athletes and non-athletes alike - making poor decisions."
Both Ogar and Rad are considering studying exercise physiology in college, which Lauchu said is a growing field.
"They're preparing now for jobs that don't even exist yet," Lauchu said.
"No one in the state is getting this education," Ogar said. "We're able to get an education in high school that will be very applicable."
Rad agreed.
"We get a year ahead of everyone," he said. "All our friends want to take this class because thy want to know how we know what we know. What I like about the class is that it's very hands-on. You get to do it."
"It gives us a ton of practical experience," Ogar said.
Ogar knows fellow students who have changed their diet because of Lauchu's human physiology class. He is convinced Lauchu's exercise physiology class will have a similar impact.
"It's really going to change the way kids make decisions," Ogar said. "It really is. I know it is. This class will make a difference in a lot of kids' lives."
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or bcox@heritage.com.
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