Purpose: To determine whether improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), blood pressure (BP) and body composition previously seen after a 16-week exercise intervention (POST) with hypocaloric diet are maintained following six months (6M) of unsupervised exercise time. Methods: Overweight/obese, physically inactive participants with primary…

Fears of an 'obesity epidemic' in New Zealand and elsewhere have led to a growing focus on children's weight, diet and activities. The aim of this research project was to highlight children's voices, stepping back from obesity interventions to explore how health and obesity discourses are taken up by young primary school children. Nine 6 and…

Objective: Despite the health benefits, many people do not undertake regular exercise. This study investigated the effects of moderate-intensity exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness (lung age, blood pressure and maximal aerobic power, VO[subscript 2]max), serum lipids concentration and body mass index (BMI) in sedentary overweight/obese adults…

School-based body mass index (BMI) notification programs are often used to raise parental awareness of childhood overweight and obesity, but how BMI results are associated with physical fitness and diet is less clear. This study examined the relationship between BMI, fitness, and diet quality in a diverse sample of urban schoolchildren…

The purpose of this study was to investigate primary school educators' health status, knowledge, perceptions and behaviour regarding nutrition and physical activity. Thus, nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes, behaviour and risk factors for the development of non-communicable diseases of 155 educators were assessed in a…

The youth of today are faced with a big problem; they are becoming more obese every day. The time of children playing outside all day and being extremely active has been overtaken by the television and video games. The days of sitting down as a family and eating a good healthy meal has been replaced by the rush to the nearest fast food…

Fighting the childhood obesity problem at Mayfield Middle School is an ongoing campaign. As a family and consumer sciences (FCS) teacher, the author decided to go outside the box to teach students and their families how to cook healthy dishes, eat a balanced and nutritious diet, and exercise regularly. All students at Mayfield attend a 6-week…

This reference brief deals with the childhood antecedents to atherosclerosis and hypertension. While diet is related to the development of coronary artery diseases, there is some disagreement about what dietary changes are necessary or desirable in children to prevent their development, and at what age such changes should be made. Fifty-five…

This manual is for use in a school-based program to help overweight students practice eating and exercise behaviors and develop strategies focusing on positive lifestyle choices. The resource guide and curriculum is arranged in three sections: (1) "Get Ready" explains how to use the book; (2) "Get Set" explains the goals for the program and…

The study evaluated the effects of an aerobic fitness program and dietary intervention with external control components on three obese adults with severe mental retardation. Results indicated severely retarded adults respond to a program of progressive aerobic exercise and caloric restriction much the same way as nonretarded persons. (Author/DB)

This report describes a collaborative study undertaken by 72 psychoanalysts in an effort to (1) collect systematic data about obese patients in psychoanalysis and (2) assess the effect of psychoanalysis in the treatment of obesity. A total of 84 obese and 63 normal weight patients was studied. Each analyst completed a detailed questionnaire on his…

Intended for use by fitness instructors, coaches, nutritionists, and other program leaders, this five-section manual covers topics ranging from curriculum guides for elementary school children to dietary regimes used by professional athletes. The role of nutrients and the use of Canada's Food Guide are reviewed briefly in the first section.…

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)

This report includes: (1) a description of the way overweight and obesity have been measured by various investigators, including an assessment of the reliability and validity of the available measures; (2) data on the prevalence of overweight based on a literature review, including a list of issues that may influence estimates of prevalence (e.g.,…

This study determined the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in young people of differing socio-economic status (SES). A cohort of 100 boys and 108 girls, aged 12.9, SD 0.3 years drawn of differing SES were assessed for CHD risk factors. Measurements included indices of obesity, blood pressure, aerobic fitness, diet, blood…