Analyzed the effect of several health behaviors and health-related variables on college freshmen's grade point averages (GPAs). Survey data indicated that sleep habits, particularly wake-up time, accounted for the most variance in GPAs. Higher GPAs related to strength training and study of spiritually oriented material. Lower GPAs related to…

Studied the weight-loss behaviors of 369 Australian tenth-grade girls and possible parental influences related to weight and shape. Parental encouragement to lose weight was a more significant predictor of daughter's dietary restraint than parents' own dietary-restraint levels. (SLD)

Examined relationship between acculturation and eating-disorder symptoms in normative samples of 920 adolescents girls of high school age. Found that acculturation was positively associated with structured-interview defined partial syndrome eating disorders in Hispanic girls, but not in Asian or European-American girls. There was no relation…

Individuals are bombarded every day with data on obesity and its health consequences, with information on weight loss treatments and their successes and failures, and with tips on how to reduce caloric intake and increase physical activity. Obesity has become a global epidemic, termed globesity (World Health Organization, 2003), and seen by many…

One of the challenges in teaching biochemistry is facilitating students' interest in and mastery of metabolism. The many pathways and modes of regulation can be overwhelming for students to learn and difficult for professors to teach in an engaging manner. We have found it useful to take advantage of prevailing interest in popular yet…

Children and adolescents live in a world where thin is "in" and the pressure to conform to society's view of the ideal body, when combined with other life factors, can set the stage for an eating disorder, a psychiatric illness characterized by an extreme desire to be thin and an intense fear of weight gain. Clinical eating disorders and…

This article focuses on the change of student health and nutrition issues in education policy deliberations. The policies that contribute to much-needed strategies to keep health needs in check are described in this article. As the costs of medical care continue to increase and affect the economies of all states, the author suggests politicians…

This study assessed the attitudes and concerns of children in grades 1 through 5 regarding their perceived body size and ideal body size, and it assessed their Body Mass Index (BMI) and dietary habits. This study found an overweight prevalence of 11.4%, based on the children's BMI. Most of the overweight students were either African American or…

This study employed a multiple probe design to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based lunchtime oral-sensory/oral-motor/positive reinforcement program on food acceptance behaviors of three youth with multiple disabilities. Overall dramatic gains in food acceptance behaviors of all participants indicated that trained school personnel were…

Rates of eating disorders have increased recently and are a public health concern especially among college students. Understanding variables that are associated with eating disorders could be helpful in preventing them. Participants (N = 525) were students from a large southwestern university. It was hypothesized that a desire for an underweight…

Background and Objective: This article sets out the findings from an analysis of food projects, with a particular emphasis on fruit and vegetables, from the 26 Health Action Zones (HAZs) in England and those taking place within the former NHS regional areas in 2001. The objective was to gather information on the existing practice to inform future…

An evaluation was conducted to compare the impact of an 8-week cardiovascular disease risk reduction group teaching program for 92 individuals with mental retardation (MR; IQ less than 70) and 97 normal learners. The curriculum emphasized exercise, nutritional choices, and stress reduction. Body Mass Index (BMI; weight in kilograms, divided by…

This article describes the efforts made by various schools in the U.S. to fight off the obesity problems of students. The intensive media coverage of the country's childhood-obesity problem sparked by the release of alarming statistics, created a junk food backlash. The Montgomery County school system and the many districts nationwide has…

This study represents the first to assess whether a relationship between manic symptoms and feeding/mealtime behavior problems exists in individuals with ID. Participants were compared across three groups (manic, non-manic psychiatrically impaired, and controls) on the diagnostic assessment for the severely handicapped-revised (DASH-II) and young…

The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect upon the mixed/modest results of the primary studies related to the effectiveness of physical activity enhancement and improving nutritional intake in obesity prevention programs for children and youth. The results of a recent review of this topic that included 57 randomized controlled trials…