This annotated bibliography, designed for practitioners and those involved in improving practice, contains 218 citations on topics related to youth physical fitness. Topics include children's fitness and activity status; contents of, and rationale for, fitness education; program suggestions, methods, and strategies; drug problems; and fitness…

Health professionals suggest creating achievable goals in childhood obesity. The article recommends correcting factors that distort normal growth and providing positive eating and exercise management to slow weight gain. Rather than trying for weight loss, children must learn positive lifelong eating and exercise patterns and attitudes toward self…

A study of 120 British adults with intellectual disability found they had higher risk factors of developing coronary heart disease and stroke than the general population. There was a greater incidence of obesity and considerably lower physical activity levels than the general population. Several also had abnormal cholesterol readings. (CR)

Investigated overweight adolescents' attitudes toward the development of school-based weight control programs, examining their level of interest in participating and noting outcomes they desired. Interviews with 61 adolescents indicated they were interested provided the programs were enjoyable, informative, caring, and supportive; did not conflict…

Significant deviation from normal weight (obesity and underweight) and lack of physical exercise have been identified as three of the most significant global behavioural risks to health. Body mass index (BMI) and levels of physical activity were measured in a sample of 1542 adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) receiving supported…

The authors surveyed 738 college students aged 18 to 27 years to assess over weight, obesity, dietary habits, and physical activity. They used BMI (body mass index) [greater than or equal to] 25 kg/m[squared] or BMI [greater than or equal to] 85th percentile and BMI [greater than or equal to] 30 kg/m[squared] or BMI [greater than or equal to] 95th…

The study examined associations among physical activity, cigarette smoking, body mass index, perceptions of body weight, weight-management goals, and weight-management behaviors of public high school adolescents. The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey provided a cross-sectional sample (n = 3,089) of public high school students in South Carolina.…

American children are gaining weight at an alarming rate. Since the 1960s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of American six- to eleven-year-olds who fall into the CDC's highest weight classification for children has almost quadrupled. Requiring more physical education (PE) seems like a logical…

Objective: To investigate weight perception and related psychological factors in Chinese adolescents. Methods: A questionnaire on weight perception, academic performance, stress, hostility, and depression was completed by 6863 middle and high school students. Weight and height were measured. Results: Overweight perception was related to…

Examination of high school students' responses to two exercise videotapes, one with the instructor's appearance altered so that he appeared overweight, indicated that the instructor's appearance may be a powerful mediator of teaching effectiveness. Students exhibited a lesser intent to exercise and less favorably rated the overweight instructor's…

Discusses the principle environmental/dietary factors related to diseases characteristic of developed countries. Suggests doubling fiber and starch, cutting sugar/salt in half, and cutting fat by one-third. Indicates that alcohol consumption, poor diet, drug abuse and lack of exercise are detrimental to good health. (JM)

Physical education teachers can help obese children develop effective movement patterns while encouraging an active lifestyle. Teachers should be familiar with: (1) the impact of obesity on children's physical and mental health; (2) the importance of exercise for weight control; and (3) implications for the physical education program. (PP)

Four means of altering fat levels in laboratory mice, contrasting invasive injection techniques with non-invasive dietary and behavioral means, are described. Relates these investigations concerning obesity to the practicality of using animal models as an approach in searching for physiological knowledge about human beings. (CS)

This paper examines the history and future of health education. Data from an American Cancer Society study exemplify how well-designed, carefully conducted research can impact current understanding and future decisions in health education. Health educators' roles in making health education a national priority are discussed. (SM)

In a culturally competent diabetes self-management intervention in Starr County, Texas, bilingual Mexican American nurses, dieticians, and community workers provided weekly instruction on nutrition, self-monitoring, exercise and other self-care topics. A biweekly support group promoted behavior change. Interviews and examinations with 256 Mexican…