The increased focus on preventing obesity in physical education spaces often leads to weight-centric ideology and anti-fat attitudes that subject fat students to weight stigma and can reduce their enjoyment of and engagement in physical activity. To promote lifelong physical activity and health among students, physical educators must reexamine…

As obesity rates rise among youth, physical education classrooms have become a resource for teaching children how to make lifelong changes that will lead to improved overall health. In addition, new curricula and government mandates are focusing on health-related fitness content and its application to lifelong fitness. As these components become…

Health promotion programs for school staff are an overlooked and under-utilized resource that can lead to reductions in overweight and obesity among teachers and other staff members if implemented properly. In addition to increasing the overall staff wellness, boosting morale, increasing productivity, improving academic achievement, providing…

Today, more than 23 million children and adolescents are obese or overweight in the United States. Physical educators strive to find appropriate, yet fun activities to encourage and increase physical activity. Introducing students to a variety of activities can promote family involvement in physical activity and create lifelong physical activity…

Considering the challenges associated with adolescent obesity and the need for innovative and meaningful physical education curricula, the authors of this article decided to create a new sport education role to help students learn about the fundamental nutritional concepts and practices that contribute to a healthy and active lifestyle. The new…

The lack of physical activity, low fitness levels, and elevated obesity rates as high as 32% of today's youth are well documented. Many strategies and grants have been developed at the national, regional, and local levels to help counteract these current trends. Strategies have been developed and implemented for schools, households (parents), and…

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…

Given increasing childhood inactivity and obesity, and minimal time for quality physical education in elementary and secondary schools, it is essential that children are motivated and held accountable for independent motor and movement skill practice. The Movement and Motor Skill Challenge System provides a comprehensive set of stimulating,…

The physical activity patterns of students with disabilities have been studied in order to understand how much moderate and vigorous daily physical exercise is obtained. Literature suggests that students with disabilities are less physically active as compared to children without disabilities. As a result of being less physically active, these…

The rising prevalence of obesity in society has resulted in an increased need for physical education teachers to create learning opportunities that promote physical activity among children. However, the presence of anti-fat attitudes and a limited understanding of the challenges associated with being overweight in a physical activity environment…

Obesity among children and teens continues to be a major public health concern in the United States. Approximately 16.9% of children and adolescents age 2-19 years are obese. To address this epidemic, schools have been encouraged to develop a coordinated school health program, which includes an interdisciplinary approach to nutrition education.…

Modeling physical fitness and healthy behaviors has been a topic of discussion in the profession for decades. Arguably the most famous research on this topic was conducted by Melville and Maddalozzo (1988) who found that a high school physical educator's body fatness could affect students' ability to retain information and their intent to…

A holistic approach to promote physical activity should become a high priority if society is to overcome the dramatic increase in physical inactivity and kypokinetic diseases associated with it. In order to achieve this goal, a collective effort is urgently needed if everyone is serious in combating this unhealthy and dangerous trend. Schools as a…

The urgency to improve fitness levels and decrease the rate of childhood obesity has been at the forefront of physical education philosophy and praxis. Few would dispute that school-age youth need to participate regularly in physical activities that enhance and maintain both skill- and health-related physical fitness. Regular physical activity…

America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Obesity rates among adults have increased by more than 60% in the last 10 years to where approximately 25% of American adults are obese today. According to Dr. Duane Alexander, Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH, 2003), the number of obese children is…