OKEMOS - How often a student attends a physical education class varies from district to district. For example, most schools within the Okemos Public School System, students attend P.E. class every third day for 45 minutes. Other schools within the district have a slightly different rotation.

"At our school right now we're every fourth day, which is a little bit more difficult, but it what we are given as far as our time," Hiawatha Elementary Physical Education Teacher Jill Hough explained.

Time spent in P.E. classes has decreased over the years, as Hough mentioned older curriculum once required students to attend P.E. three times a week. An increased push for more focus on other areas of core curriculum meant that subjects like physical education had to be modified as well. Although there's been a decrease in physical education class, that doesn't mean there soon won't be an increase. Curriculum is looked at and evaluated every year so things are always changing.

What has yet to change is the increase in child obesity. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's website, about 1 out of every 5 children in the United States is obese and childhood obesity remains a major public health problem.

With less time with the students Hough said, "I am always scrambling to see if I can cover as many areas as I can and basically just try to create the passion within my students to get out and take care of themselves."

The CDC states children who are obese are more likely to become obese adults. Childhood obesity can also lead to life long health problems, both physical and mental.

Hough went on to explain that encouraging her students when they're in class is the easy part. Keeping students motivated in between class is where things get tricky. "So we have to find ways to get the families to do it to get the community to do it, she said.