Background: The Department of Defense (DOD) annually spends billions in medical care for military beneficiaries. Overweight and obesity are top concerns for dependents. Only 44% of military spouses (86% female, ages 25 to 34) meet Healthy People 2020 weight/BMI goals. Physical activity (PA) is an important modifiable behavior for preventing and…

Aim and objectives: In the USA, undergraduate students gain more weight in the first year in college than at any other point in their lives. However, the factors that predict their weight gain are unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the predictors of weight gain among first-year college students at a US college over a 3-month period.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between measures of students' physical well-being and self-perception and their academic achievement. Specifically, we look at students' social support for physical activity, physical activity perceptions, self-concept, self-efficacy, health behaviors, and cardiorespiratory fitness (as measured…

Background: We have demonstrated previously that patterns of behavioral adherence in the first 6 months of behavioral lifestyle interventions were associated with significant weight loss at 18 months. In this article, we extend this work to examine patterns of behavioral adherence over 18 months and to explore baseline demographic and psychosocial…

Because children with visual impairments tend to be inactive, they are 1.5 times more likely to be considered overweight or obese than are their sighted peers. Although some barriers to physical activity have been identified (for example, lack of opportunity and transportation issues); little has been done to empirically identify predictors of…

Little is known about the correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior in Hispanic adolescents. This study examined at baseline and 2-year follow-up: (1) the relationship between self-efficacy for physical activity and physical activity, (2) the association of weight perception with physical activity and sedentary behavior, and (3)…

Because of the continued increase in obesity rates and decrease in children's physical activity and fitness levels, this study investigated the relationship between habitual physical activity and perceived competence, enjoyment of physical activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness among upper elementary school children. This study used the…

Background: The prevalence of obesity in children is high, and many do not meet physical activity recommendations. The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program encourages school-aged children to walk and bike to school. We assessed the condition of the walking/biking environment around schools in Louisiana prior to the state's first SRTS program.…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are differences in weight status, aerobic and strength physical activity, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, and perceived stress about having enough money to buy nutritious meals between United States college students who live on campus and college students who live off campus. A…

Background. The family and home environment is an influential antecedent of childhood obesity. The purpose of this study was to pilot test The Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) intervention; a newly developed, theory-based, online program for prevention of childhood…

Disadvantaged rural youth may be especially at risk for obesity and poorer health due to physical inactivity. Research suggests that extracurricular school programs can increase physical activity for this population. This study sought to determine whether local differences existed in the availability of supportive environments for extracurricular…

Childhood obesity remains a problem in the United States. Preschool teachers can help to attenuate it but need to have the confidence or self-efficacy to provide healthy practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to (a) develop and validate a preschool teacher self-efficacy tool to examine teachers' confidence in addressing the nutrition…

It is an old pursuit to find the balance between nature and society (within the individual and the sum of people). In order to talk about a healthy society, it is necessary to have the people making up the society healthy, too. The health condition of the individuals affects the society, creating a close connection among individuals and society.…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to objectively assess levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) of Chinese city children and youth aged 9 to 17 years old using accelerometers and to examine their differences by gender, age, grade, and weight status. Method: The PA and SB of 2,163 students in 4th grade through 11th grade…

This longitudinal study identified common summer care arrangements for adolescents and examined whether those arrangements predicted risk for obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI) [greater than or equal to] 85th percentile for age and gender) the following school year. Participants were a nationally representative sample of 1766 adolescents ages 10-18…