A healthy weight means you are not too fat or too thin. Your doctor may have said that you should not gain more weight or that you need to lose a few pounds. If you have diabetes and are overweight, you are not alone. The steps you take to manage your weight will help you feel better and may improve your blood sugar or glucose (GLOO-kos) levels.…

A review of traditional (such as psychotherapy) and behavioral approaches (such as self-monitoring and reinforcement) to obesity treatment of mentally retarded students led to the conclusion that the behavioral orientation was more successful. Implications for initiating such programs include thorough training, voluntary participation, and parent…

In comprehensive wieght loss program, overweight women exposed to instruction in self-standard setting and to situational management techniques lost more weight than those instructed only in situational management techniques. Findings illustrate facilitative effect of teaching individuals to set specific, objective, and realistic goals for eating…

Body composition refers to the types and amounts of tissues which make up the body. The most acceptable method for assessing body composition is underwater weighing. A subcutaneous skinfold provides a quantitative measurement of fat below the skin. The skinfold technique permits a valid estimate of the body's total fat content. (JN)

Factors such as gestational age and birthweight were compared in a follow-up study of 66 neonates with diarrhea and two groups of infants--one with low birthweight, one with optimal birthweight. Among findings was that low birthweight was found to correlate with low test scores on visual perception regardless of whether the infants had had…

This study describes the endurance capacities and anthropometric characteristics of highly-trained, female, teenaged, distance runners. (MM)

The photography technique for predicting the physical properties of a body segment is highly recommended because of its simplicity and accuracy of data obtained. (MM)

Investigated relationship of body image perception and weight status to recent change in weight status of adolescent females. Nonobese, overweight, and obese girls (N=90) aged 13 through 17 completed Body-Cathexis Scale and self-report recent change in weight status and demographic questionnaire. Results revealed significant positive correlation…

Findings indicated that girls suffered from poor body image and dissatisfaction with weight more often than boys did. Findings also supported the notion of an interaction between context and individual. Sex differences were differentially moderated by the communities in which the adolescents lived. (RH)

Study of the monocyte phagocytic function in nine competitive athletes before and after a two-week weight reduction (through calorie restriction) program revealed that their pre-program phagocytic activity was higher than in sedentary controls but decreased significantly after the program. This suggests calorie restriction may affect the human…

The article discusses research indicating that the physical education teacher's appearance strongly influences students' receptivity to instruction and presents recommendations to ensure more physically fit physical education majors. (CB)

Investigated degree to which actual fatness and/or greater body dimensions might provide stimulus for dietary restraint (DR) in children (n=126). High DR boys were heavier, fatter, and had larger waists and hips resulting from fat deposition than low DR boys. High DR girls were heavier and fatter that low DR girls, with larger waists and hips.…