While there is wide consensus regarding the importance of early intervention, health is rarely considered within priorities. Twenty-five children on the autism spectrum (M[subscript age] = 4.67, SD = 0.82) participated in a 12-week physical activity intervention. Primary objective was to examine impact of a physical activity intervention on…

This manuscript describes a pedagogical proposal for the adherence to healthy eating in sixth-grade schoolchildren. The reason for the design lies in the high prevalence of overweight and obesity together with a growing current sedentary lifestyle, aspects that constitute a serious public health problem worldwide with an upward trend and pandemic…

Due to COVID-19, children have not been able to go to school and move enough since March 2020. In this process, the measures taken such as the prolongation of the stay at home, social isolation, and quarantine caused children to delay their physical activities and stay away from these activities. As a result, this may have caused weakness in the…

This critical paper investigates one influential post-millennial initiative -- the Daily Mile programme -- which is designed to promote the multifarious lifelong enhancing benefits of running-based experiences. A textually orientated discourse analysis of the language used in media, policy and research-related documentary sources of evidence are…

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP) coordinate physical activity opportunities for school-age children through physical education, programs offered before/after school and during the school day, and those facilitated through staff involvement and community engagement. An active school is considered to implement quality physical…

Obesity and overweight in early childhood have detrimental impacts on children's health and development. Changing policy, system and environmental features focused on physical activity and healthy eating behaviors as part of health promotion interventions can play a key role in prevention strategies in early childhood education settings. These…

Primary-school-aged children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are reported to engage in lower levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) compared to typically developing (TD) children (Jones et al. in PLoS ONE, 12(2):1-23, 2017). Levels of MVPA in young children with ASD remain unclear. This study aimed to…

The Childcare PhysicaL ActivitY (PLAY) policy was an evidence-informed, eight-item institutional-level policy document targeting children's physical activity, outdoor play, and sedentary time. Nine childcare centers in London, Ontario, participated in this cluster, randomized controlled trial. Early Childhood Educators allocated to the…

Background: Obesity and physical inactivity are serious public health concerns in the United States (US) and globally. COVID-19 restrictions are resulting in decreased physical activity (PA) levels among children. Purpose: To determine barriers and challenges to PA promotion among children during COVID-19 and inform a PA promotion video. Methods:…

The global childhood trend towards obesity and unhealthy lifestyles is a growing concern. Childcare settings have been identified as the most influential factors for children's physical activity, and physical activity habits are better formed and maintained if started in early childhood. As a result, early childhood education environments are in…

Considering over one-third of the United States' population is now considered obese, childhood obesity has become a highlighted public health concern. Educators and health professionals have spent a significant amount of time examining how to approach the obesity epidemic, specifically childhood obesity, yet there is still no clear solution. An…

The 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth reported that only 24% of U.S. children and youth ages 6 to 17 meet the national recommendation of 60 minutes of daily physical activity, grading the nation at a D-. Schools can help students meet this national recommendation, as close to 60 million children and adolescents attend…

Physical educators can expect to work with students experiencing a mental health concern. Mental health concerns are prevalent among children and adolescents in the United States. An estimated 13 to 20% of U.S. children meet the diagnostic criteria for an emotional or behavioral disorder. The purpose of this article is to provide physical…

Background: Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in America, affecting millions of children from early childhood to adolescence. Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the last three decades (CDC, 2016b). Additionally, the obesity epidemic is reaching our nation's youngest children; it was recently reported that over 20% of 2- to 5-year-old…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterise parents' concerns for their children's health behaviour and perceptions of motivators and barriers to positive child health behaviour change, and to determine associations between motivators and barriers and parents' priorities for a school-based healthy lifestyle programme. Design:…