Warren County Schools are on a health kick after survey results show the desk under cycle program has made students healthier.
“The program has had a positive effect,” said Direct of Schools Bobby Cox in announcing the findings of the first year of the program to the Board of Education. “It may be a trend setter. We are trying it at more schools this year.”
The early finding comes after the under cycles were used by students at Morrison Elementary and Warren County Middle School. The under-the-desk cycles are peddles that students can spin much as they would in riding a bicycle while sitting down. The idea is that it provides exercise while the students are studying and does not take away from the educational process.
As for numbers, Cox said the early results are quite remarkable. “At Morrison we had 52 students in the program and of that number, 21 tested outside normal (in body weight),” he revealed. “When they were tested in the spring, 12 of those 21 had moved into a better range and healthier weight. That’s an improvement of 54 percent.”
Cox noted there were six students who originally tested high for blood pressure but half of those were testing in the proper blood pressure range by the spring exam.
At Warren County Middle School, 206 students were tested with 121 of them falling outside the normal zone. During a re-check in the spring, 17 of those students had improved into the normal health zone. In the area of blood pressure, Cox said there were some eye-opening results.
“There were 73 students who tested for high blood pressure,” Cox said. “In spring, 45 of that number tested normal, an improvement of 78 percent.”
As a result of the findings, Cox said the school system has a “truckload more” of under cycles which they will distribute for use at the area schools.