Objective: Children's lifestyle behaviours significantly affect childhood obesity. The impact of a body mass index reduction intervention applied to secondary school students on their eating behaviour, physical activity, sleep quality and obesity was in the focus of this research. Method: A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed. The…

Ample evidence documents rising student obesity in summer months and falling student obesity during the school year. One theory for this pattern is that out-of-school days lack some of the structure and health-promoting behaviors that schools provide. Given this observed seasonal pattern, a natural question is whether there is room for policies…

Sport Education is a curriculum model designed to provide all students with authentic sport experiences, regardless of their individual characteristics. Research showing the effectiveness of the model in promoting physical activity (PA) levels is still scant. In addition, interventions have mostly included invasion games as the main content, thus…

Background: Associations between school participation in an academic medical center-supported school-based wellness initiative and programmatic components implemented with change in average student body mass index (BMI) over time were examined. Methods: This was an observational study of 103 K-12 South Carolina schools over school years 2014-2018,…

Background: Irish school children have demonstrated poor proficiency in fundamental movement skills (FMS) and consistent with international literature, females and overweight children tend to be less skilled than males and non-overweight children. Interventions that are suitable for children of all abilities and which provide long-term…

This study examines the effects of two different 8-week balance intervention programs for students of primary school age. Static and dynamic balance were assessed in 380 students (6-12 years) before and after an 8-week balance intervention program. Students were divided and assigned into a no intervention control group, a direct instructional…

Half of U.S. states measure students' body mass index (BMI), with many communicating that information to parents through a "BMI report card" or notification letter. School nurses are usually responsible for implementing these programs and communicating results to parents. The purpose of this study was to understand parents' perceptions…

College students often experience and report feeling stressed within the context of their daily lives. This empirical study examines the effect of personal stress on academic performance in an introductory economics course at a representative regional university. 105 students were surveyed and completed a standardized psychometric instrument…

There is a growing body of evidence to support the benefits of physical activity on children's cognitions and behavior. Although children with ADHD are known to be at risk for deficits in cognitive processing, specifically executive functioning which controls the organization, regulation, and planning of behavior, little evidence exists about the…

Background: Motor competence, defined as a person's ability to execute different motor skills, is directly associated with children's physical, mental, and social development and may be essential in encouraging an active lifestyle in childhood. Although health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children has been described as an individual's…

Background: While dietary sources of calcium are important for bone health, the intake of milk and milk products decreases as children get older. A free milk in schools program may mitigate this decrease in milk consumption. We evaluated the Fonterra Milk for schools program (a free milk initiative) by determining changes in children's milk…

This study evaluated feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a 12-week "Guys/Girls Opt for Activities for Life" (GOAL) intervention on 10- to 13-year-old adolescents' body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, physical activity (PA), diet quality, and psychosocial perceptions related to PA and healthy eating.…

Background: Our objective was to examine the association between school wellness committees and implementation of nutrition wellness policies and children's weight status and obesity-related dietary outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 4790 children aged 4-15 years recruited from 130 communities in the Healthy Communities…

We aimed to assess the impact of Project Spraoi: a school-based physical activity (PA) and nutrition intervention that reached 473 primary school children and 43 school staff in Cork (Ireland). Four primary schools (2 intervention, 2 control) with similar characteristics participated and for 2 school years, intervention schools were assigned an…

This study examined differences in grade school students' BMI percentiles before and after the "Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act" of 2012 and factors that may have influenced those differences. Using publically available data from the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education, a comparative analysis of BMI percentiles, ethnicity,…