Childhood overweight and obesity have been increasing over recent years and, more than ever, we are being called to act, whether as clinicians, parents or educators. The aim of this empirical research is to assess children's cognitive and emotionally internalized mental representation of a "Preferred" and "Healthy Meal," using…

Schools are positioned to play a key role in nurturing students with knowledge and behaviours associated with healthful living. Our study examined the effects of an intervention on energy balance (EB) knowledge. Twelve 6th and 7th grade classrooms (n = 140) were assigned to receive either two standardised lessons on EB or a combined intervention…

With roots in experiential education and Outward Bound, wilderness therapy (WT) is a growing field of mental health care for youth. WT uses outdoor modalities combined with therapeutic interventions to assist youth to promote clinical changes. Previous research has shown it to be effective in improving the mental health of clients; however, little…

Given that postsecondary institutions are increasingly seen as sites to promote health, critical scholars are calling attention to how the contemporary Western weight-centred health paradigm reinforces a "size matters" message that is fueling harmful attitudes towards and judgments of bodies. As such, research that highlights strategies…

The prevalence of social anxiety during adolescence is high, and it is necessary that we increase our knowledge on the related factors that contribute to social anxiety. The present study sought to examine the relationships among self-esteem, body-esteem, and social anxiety among adolescent students, as well as to examine the mediating role of…

Objectives: To examine the association between frequency of breakfast consumption and body mass index (BMI) among elementary students participating in a traditional School Breakfast Program (SBP) in a school district that is implementing a Farm to School (F2S) program compared to those participating in a traditional SBP without F2S. Methods: This…

Childhood obesity is a public health threat that disproportionally affects Latino youth in the United States. Active and Healthy Families (AHF) is a culturally tailored, family-based program for addressing obesity disparities in a predominantly immigrant Latino population. AHF was the first primary care, culturally tailored intervention for Latino…

The Roadmap of Need is an in-depth needs assessment for North Carolina youth, produced annually by the Public School Forum of North Carolina's Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP). This publication examines 20 indicators of wellness in counties across North Carolina. These indicators contain relevant annual data demonstrating need across North…

In this study, I explored the impact of exergaming on in-class physical activity (PA) and motivation in physical education. Elementary children participated in a 4-week exergaming unit and a 4-week fitness unit. A t test showed the children's in-class PA in the exergaming unit was significantly lower than in the fitness unit. Results also…

Purpose: In this review, we provide researchers and practitioners with an overview of the physical activity and pregnancy literature to promote prenatal physical activity, improve measurement, further elucidate the role of activity in reducing maternal health complications, and inform future research. Method: We examined past and present physical…

In the last year, two prominent, famous, and revered coaches, Jim Tressel and Joe Paterno, committed disastrous lapses of ethics. Both coaches preached that sport and athletics build character. They either taught ethics or leadership courses at their institutions or were exemplars of ethical behavior in their personal and professional lives. Both…

The purpose of this study was to determine the changes of MDA, glutation (GSH), Adenozine deaminase (ADA) and superoxidase dismutaze (SOD) levels with exercise training in obese middle-aged women (body mass index, MMI [greater than or equal to] 30.0). Twelve obese middle-aged women participated in this study. The descriptive statistics of some of…

This paper responds to Michael Merry's recent contribution on childhood obesity. Merry's analysis highlights the difficulties in finding an appropriate balance between children's and parents' interests in antiobesity interventions and emphasizes the importance of weight stigma and its effects on the obesity debate. He concludes by recommending…

Development of the walking ability and self-care of patients with Down syndrome is affected by their body weight determining their lifestyle to a great extent. Objectives: The study aimed at the determination of body mass index for persons living in residential institutions and families, exploration its impact on walking and self-care as two,…

Background: Overweight and obese older adults have high sedentary time. We tested the feasibility and preliminary effects of a sedentary time reduction intervention among adults over age 60 with a body mass index over 27 kg/m2 using a nonrandomized one-arm design. Methods: Participants (N = 25, mean age = 71.4, mean body mass index = 34) completed…