Bronx students aren’t getting enough exercise during school hours because the city’s education department is failing to provide them with access to proper facilities and programs, says a new report released by the Bronx borough president’s office.

The lack of physical education facilities and programs is compounding the borough’s obesity problem, which is the worst in New York City.

Nearly one out of every four elementary school students in the Bronx is obese, according to Department of Education (DOE) statistics, meaning they are extremely overweight. More than two out of every five Bronx elementary students are either obese or overweight.

Obesity can lead to all kinds of health problems from degenerative joint diseases to diabetes. Not surprisingly, Bronx residents suffer from the highest rate of diabetes – 12 percent – of any borough in the city, the report says. Diabetes can then lead to more serious health problems, such as “kidney disease, blindness, depression, amputations and even premature death,” the report says.

In addition to health problems, the report cites several studies linking obesity to academic, social and psychological problems. It also cites studies saying obesity puts a heavy economic burden on our healthcare system and estimates that obesity costs New York state residents more than $6 billion each year.

The report calls on the city’s Department of Education to do its part to help alleviate these problems by providing adequate exercise for Bronx youth. “In order to assure a healthy future for our youth, the DOE must take a proactive role in addressing the lack of adequate physical education in our public schools,” the report says.

The problem, as outlined by the report and a survey of more than 200 Bronx public school administrators, is that “Bronx schools need additional support for their physical education programs such as improved physical education facilities, better implementation of the physical education curriculum and more certified physical education teachers.”

The report compares its survey results with New York state physical education requirements, which says that elementary students must get 120 minutes of physical education each week, not including time for showering and dressing.

New York City standards are more vague. Students don’t have to meet hour requirements, but schools are encouraged to provide daily physical education classes and the DOE recommends using a comprehensive fitness curriculum called “Physical Best: Physical Education for Lifelong Fitness.” Instituting the curriculum earned New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein an award for physical education leadership in 2007.

The problem isn’t the curriculum, Bronx educators say, it’s the lack of facilities and how the programs for the curriculum are implemented.

Here are some of the report’s numbers:

• Over 4,000 Bronx students, in at least 10 schools, do not have any physical education programs.

• 70 percent of Bronx schools surveyed reported that physical education hours didn’t meet the class time required by New York State.

• 91 percent of the elementary schools surveyed said they didn’t provide enough physical education hours to meet New York State requirements.

• 23 percent of schools said they didn’t have a gym.

• 22 percent percent of schools said they didn’t have any outdoor physical education facilities.