This systematic review evaluated interventions and relevant outcomes for health promotion and obesity prevention among children and adolescents with developmental disabilities (DD). Twenty-one studies including randomized control trials (n= 9) and quasi-experimental studies (n=12) published between 2010 and 2021 met inclusion criteria related to…

Background: This study describes a method for harmonizing data collected with different tools to compute a rating of compliance with national recommendations for school physical activity (PA) and nutrition environments. Methods: We reviewed questionnaire items from 84 elementary schools that participated in the Childhood Obesity Research…

Objective: Over one-third of college students are overweight or obese and rates are rising. Whole body vibration (WBV) training could prevent weight gain but has not been tested in college students. Methods: Randomized controlled trial comparing thrice weekly WBV for 6 months to controls (CON) in undergraduate students. Feasibility included…

Through a community-focused needs assessment conducted in rural Appalachia, we gauged perceptions of facilitators and barriers related to healthful eating and physical activity for young children and identified suggestions for improvement. Thirty-seven key informant interviews and three caregiver focus group sessions were coded and analyzed for…

Preventive lifestyle interventions are needed to address challenges in engaging men in conventional health programmes. This process evaluation examined the feasibility and acceptability of HAT TRICK, a gender-sensitized programme targeting physical activity, healthy eating and social connectedness. A mixed-methods approach was utilized to examine…

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…

Objective: To characterize the heterogeneity in response to lifestyle intervention among Latino adolescents with obesity. Methods: We conducted secondary data analysis of 90 Latino adolescents (age 15.4 ± 0.9 y, female 56.7%) with obesity (BMI% 98.1 ± 1.5%) that were enrolled in a 3 month lifestyle intervention and were followed for a year.…

Obesity in childhood has become a major global public health concern. Its considerable increase in the last decades took the World Health Organization (WHO) to regard this fact as one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. Diagnosing, intervening and, above all, preventing obesity in the early stages of life becomes urgent…

This study, based on the observation of children (3-5 year olds) following a program of specific physical exercises guided by music, wants to evaluate the effect of movement on body, mind and cognition. It will promote activities and experience in order to 1) build up a healthy body and a healthy mind; 2) prevent obesity as well as type 2…

The Katalyst intervention program was piloted in fifth-grade classrooms at two Appalachian schools during the 2017-18 academic year as a potential educational resource to tackle the rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases in this region. The program consisted of four 60-minute modules, each based on a specific organ system. Each module…

The aim of this paper was to gain an understanding of the views of a group of physical education teacher educators on the purpose(s) of school physical education and whether, how and why these views have changed over time. Semi-structured individual interviews were carried out with thirteen physical education teacher educators; a fourteenth…

Children's physical education in early childhood settings has always been underpinned by an emphasis on play. This is viewed as foundational for child development (movement education, cognitive growth, socialising functions, emotional development). However, where priorities about childhood obesity prevail, increased 'prevention' efforts have…

The Balanced Energy Physical Activity Toolkit, or the BEPA-Toolkit, supports physical activity (PA) programming via Extension in elementary schools. In a pilot study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the BEPA-Toolkit as used by teachers through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education partnerships. We surveyed teachers (n = 57)…

The study purpose was to examine the impact of the Harvest of the Month (HOTM) program on fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, FV preferences, other eating behaviors, physical activity and other variables related to healthy eating. A clustered randomized controlled trial was employed in 28 elementary schools. After parental consent was obtained,…

Background: Effective childhood obesity prevention programs for preschool children are limited in number and focus on changes in the child care environment rather than the home environment. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to develop and test the feasibility of a home environment obesity prevention program that incorporates mindful eating…