For more than a decade, researchers, and increasingly the public, have focused on childhood overweight as a personal and public health problem. As the number of children who are overweight has continued to grow, consensus has emerged that schools, as the places where children spend much of their time, have a critical role to play in reversing this…

Problems related to negative body image are very common among young women. In this study, we examined the relationship between women's body image and their sexual functioning over and above the effects of physical exercise and body mass index (BMI) in a sample of 214 university women. Low situational body image dysphoria and low body…

This fact sheet uses a question-and-answer format to summarize issues related to physical fitness in people with mental retardation. Questions and answers address the following topics: a definition of "physical fitness"; the components of physical fitness (muscle strength and endurance, flexibility, body composition, and cardiovascular endurance);…

This project compared the relative physical fitness levels of 30 visually handicapped/blind students (aged 7-18) at a residential school with that of non-handicapped peers, to develop a school-based fitness and nutrition intervention program and determine impact of the intervention. The compounding handicapping nature of fitness deficits and…

This study provides information about steroids and recommends programs to educators and coaches who are involved with educating students about steroid abuse. The first part of the study contains annotations that examine the rationale and motivation of those who have used anabolic steroids. The next part of the study contains annotations that…

A description is given of a program that provides preventive measures to check obesity in children and young people. The 24-week program is divided into two parts--a nutrition component and an exercise component. At the start and end of the program, tests are given to assess the participants' height, weight, body composition, fitness level, and…

Time-diary data on activities of 1,680 children aged 4-13 revealed that children's time spent on home computer use was positively associated with cognitive skill test scores and self-esteem and did not adversely affect time spent on reading, sports, or outdoor play, except for heavy users (over 8 hours daily). Such children had substantially…

Explored the relationship between the 1998 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) weight guidelines and concurrent medical costs among 177,971 employees, retirees, and adult dependents from a nationwide manufacturing corporation. Results indicated that the six weight groups defined by the NHLBI guidelines were consistent with concurrent…

When 2,142 students in Grades 3, 7, and 11 were tested on 6 motor tasks, performance decrements resulting from fatness were found for boys and girls equally and constantly across the grades. Boys exhibited progressively greater performance superiority across grades. However, for specific tasks, an age-related decrease was found in degree to which…

The results of 2 studies determining the effects of body checking in Pee Wee hockey indicate variability in player size and strength is reason to avoid this practice. In leagues allowing body checking, 55 percent of all injuries and greater frequency of serious injury were a result of body contact. (SM)

This study investigated the effect of regular physical activity on body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat of Chinese girls grouped by age and physical activity patterns. Measurements of skinfold, height, and weight, and BMI calculations, found differences in BMI and percent body fat between active and inactive girls. (SM)

Entering college students were evaluated for performance on maximal oxygen consumption, body composition, muscle endurance, muscle strength, and joint flexibility tests to determine the relationship of physical activity patterns to fitness levels. Results supported previous research indicating reduced fitness levels in young adults. (SM)

Examined the relationship between elementary students' television viewing and their physical fitness. Data from parent and student questionnaires and measures of body fat, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength/endurance, and muscular flexibility indicated that television viewing weakly and inconsistently related to various components of…

Examined changes in physical fitness of middle-aged adults with mental retardation over 13 years. The subjects had participated in a physical fitness study in 1983. They were re-evaluated for cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. Fitness levels declined over the 13 years and were low…

Explored the role of body mass index (BMI) in eating disorders among Hispanic, Asian American, and non-Hispanic white female college students. Data from student surveys indicated that after controlling for BMI, ethnic differences in eating disorder symptoms of concern about weight and shape disappeared, but differences in restrained eating…