According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research indicates that today's children are not getting enough physical activity. One solution to this problem is to integrate other subjects into physical education. This article describes a successful physical education program for Pre-K children implemented at the Sheboygan Area…

Objective: To investigate overweight prevalence and socio-demographic and economic correlates in Chinese adolescents. Methods: Weight, height, waist circumference, and socio-demographic and economic variables of 6863 middle and high school students were measured. Results: 10% of girls and 17% of boys were overweight. Waist circumference and…

Prevention is the key strategy for controlling the current epidemic levels of childhood obesity. Current statistics show that obesity has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years. It is generally recognized that nutrition education for the…

The rate of obesity among school-age children has become a national concern, with the number of overweight children aged 6 to 11 more than tripling over the past three decades (U.S. Government Accountability Office 2005). In 2001, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, and in 2002,…

This meta-analytic review summarizes obesity prevention programs and their effects and investigates participant, intervention, delivery, and design features associated with larger effects. A literature search identified 64 prevention programs seeking to produce weight gain prevention effects, of which 21% produced significant prevention effects…

Body image dissatisfaction and eating disturbances are prevalent among youths and are beginning at an increasingly younger age. The glorification of the ideal, thin body type surrounds youths, in direct contrast to the increasing rates of overweight and obesity among the same population. The messages that children and adolescents are receiving are…

In this trial, adolescent girls with body dissatisfaction (N = 481, M age = 17 years) were randomized to an eating disorder prevention program involving dissonance-inducing activities that reduce thin-ideal internalization, a prevention program promoting healthy weight management, an expressive writing control condition, or an assessment-only…

In an age of rising obesity rates, more students are getting fit in school with the help of the video game series Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and similar games. Some educators caution that while the trend is positive overall, technology should only supplement--not replace--traditional physical activity, such as running, aerobics, and other…

The studies reported here explored whether therapeutic groups for women who eat compulsively can demonstrate weight loss as a primary result as well as the improvements in emotional functioning reported by other investigators. In both studies questionnaire data showed little change in self-esteem or attitudes as measured by the Rosenberg…

Researchers are only gradually becoming aware of the gravity of the risk that overweight and obesity pose for children's health. In this article Stephen Daniels documents the heavy toll that the obesity epidemic is taking on the health of the nation's children. He discusses both the immediate risks associated with childhood obesity and the…

Twenty-first century science and technology places new demands on educators to better prepare the next generation to acquire and maintain advanced levels of literacy and technological skill. Providing a variety of culturally diverse learning opportunities in family and consumer sciences (FCS) classrooms can open new doors to peace through…

Early childhood teachers have a variety of health and safety resources to draw upon, including information about and educational programs dealing with such issues as fire safety, obesity, and dental hygiene. However, teachers may face a number of challenges when attempting to incorporate health and safety resources into the curriculum. In some…

The growth hormone is a lipolytic hormone and somatomedin C mediates the metabolic effects of the growth hormone in many tissues. Growth hormone plasma levels are often depressed in obese individuals, and this low plasma level has been postulated as a reason for perpetuation of excess weight. Substantial weight loss in obese subjects improves…

A case study focuses on the characteristics and physical management of a 15-year-old with Prader-Willi Syndrome, a birth defect associated with hypotonia, insatiable appetite, hypogonadism, central nervous system dysfunction, and abnormal growth and development . A literature review addresses studies dealing with behavior modification of obesity…

Presents results of an assessment study of continuities in triceps skinfold thickness (TRSF) and Rohrer index (weight/height) in a biracial (black/white) cohort of 1,490 children and adolescents over an eight-year period. Reports that moderate, juvenile-onset obesity is malleable, but that the persistently obese youth is likely to become an obese…