Views of obesity as a consequence of "lack of willpower" or other behavioral choices, rather than a complex array of biological and other factors, are quite common among undergraduate students. Many undergraduates in prenursing or biology programs have little exposure to the physiology and pathophysiology of obesity, including learning…

Diabetes mellitus and obesity are major public health issues that significantly impact the health care system. The next generation of health care providers will need a deep understanding of the pathophysiology of these diseases if we are to prevent, treat, and eventually cure these diseases and ease the burden on patients and the health care…

Methods: Summative focus groups with teachers across three Head Start centers were conducted to explore teachers' attitudes toward the HH2H curriculum. The curriculum consisted of eight weekly nutrition lessons, interactive activities with puppets, taste tests, and physical activity set to music as a component of the Impact of a Preschool Obesity…

Purpose: Over the last couple of decades, health has become a central part of the subject content in physical education (PE) curricula in many countries. As a result, issues of health have been foregrounded much more clearly in the teaching of PE. The aim of this study was to explore how Swedish PE teachers make sense of health in relation to…

This article aims to show and make explicit the exclusion sometimes experienced by children with disabilities and obesity in physical activity (PA) and physical education (PE). Using empirical data from our previous qualitative work, we have engaged in a process of creative writing to present a tale that exhibits how exclusion is experienced by…

The sociological imagination is a core component of all introductory sociology courses. A main focus of this perspective is how social forces are related to individual lives. Undergraduates are often socialized to rely on individualistic explanations of public issues. These explanations often blame, dehumanize, and other the victim, thereby…

Children's ideas, which differ from a scientific view, are termed as alternative conceptions (AC). AC are extremely resistant to change and arise from everyday experience. Investigation of children's AC about weight gain and their ability to discriminate between healthy and unhealthy foods is important, because it can help teachers reduce obesity…

New interdisciplinary approaches including fat studies, fat pedagogy, critical weight studies and critical health education have attempted to challenge forms of weight-based oppression associated with obesity discourse within education settings. Very little is known about young people's views of these alternative critical approaches. Theoretically…

Overweight and obesity prevalence in children has increased worldwide. One factor contributing to this rise is the increase in portion sizes, with individuals potentially having difficulties with portion size estimation. Portion size estimation could be improved with portion size education involving the mathematical concepts of volume and…

The purpose of this research project was to explore coverage of obesity-related topics in the early years of "Journal of Home Economics (JHE)." Utilizing HEARTH, a Boolean search for obesity-related terms and topics was used to analyze volumes beginning with 1909, continuing to 1910, and every five years to 1940. Coverage of the obesity…

Although outdoor play has been widely recognised for the many benefits it affords children, some have rationalised the need for it based on goals related to physical health. More specifically, these instrumental goals have been closely related to obesity, overweight, and/or physical (in)activity. Adhering to obesity discourses and the notion of a…

In this qualitative study, we intend to discuss how adolescent students in a Brazilian public school classroom define their body image and personalize the themes "beauty standards" and "fatness." Grounded on a critical approach to language teaching, these two social themes were problematized in eight lessons of "Ensino…

Children's obesity rates have increased substantially over the past several decades, due in part to unhealthy eating habits. About 75% of preschool-aged children consume fewer fruits and vegetables than recommended for health. Because children begin developing eating habits during early childhood, obesity prevention programs are increasingly…

Approximately half of the children in the United States do not meet the global physical activity guidelines, and many children adopt sedentary lifestyles. Given the fact about two-thirds children are classified as overweight or obese, traditional video games have been blamed as a major contributor to children's sedentary behavior and excessive…

Epidemiological data construct the population of Newfoundland and Labrador as being one of the most obese populations in Canada. The concern for child and youth health is particularly pertinent within school culture and places teachers in precarious positions where they are being asked to share in shaping healthy lifestyle messages while also…