Surveyed the diet, exercise, and health habits of female college students, calculating body mass index, assessing physical activity, and estimating food and nutrient intake. Overall, no participants had adopted all of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Diets were nutritionally adequate but exceeded national recommendations for fat, sugar, and…

Investigated relations between sex, social status, and temperament among preschool-age children. Found that rejected children had a higher activity level, higher distractibility, and lower persistence than popular children. Both rejected and neglected children were rated as displaying lower adaptability and more negative mood than popular…

Examines risk factors for osteoporosis that are especially relevant to the college health setting, focusing on bone development, inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake, cigarette smoking and alcohol use, steroid use and high protein diets, and physical inactivity and excessive exercise. Also presents intervention strategies for college health…

Standard two of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education requires students to use cognitive information to understand and enhance motor skill acquisition and performance. This article provides examples of incorporating the standard into K-12 instruction using units based on balance, fitness, and bicycling. Examples illustrate a…

As an initial step in building gender-specific binge drinking intervention programs, the authors investigated the relation of potentially modifiable factors (physical activity level, weight concern, and depressive symptoms) to binge drinking while controlling for the effects of previously established correlates of binge drinking (tobacco and…

Physical educators can play a significant role in promoting active lifestyles and lifelong fitness. Unfortunately, many physical education programs face the challenges of time limitations, affordability, and professional commitment. The purpose of this article is to describe a stretch-band fitness program offered to sixth-grade students. The…

Despite the recognized health risks associated with physical inactivity, most Americans are not active enough to achieve health benefits, and many report no planned physical activity at all. The Surgeon General's report on physical activity and health and several research studies have provided evidence that most Americans do not exercise and are…

Governments and health authorities are expressing concern about increasing levels of obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity in children. In response to such concerns, it is common to adapt strategies for adults to children, and to conduct adult-focused research. This paper describes a research study commissioned by the South Australian…

This study investigated the outcomes of an intervention package on participation in two physical activities: snowshoeing and walking/jogging. Three male secondary school students who had been diagnosed with autism and were attending a school for students with intellectual disabilities participated in a 6-month outdoor physical activity program.…

A 12-week pilot project on physical activity was introduced in a day habilitation setting to a group of 12 older adults with intellectual disability and a variety of physical and behavioral conditions. Our purpose was to determine whether (a) this intervention would positively impact physical function in this population, (b) consumers would choose…

In this paper we present initial information concerning a new direct observation system--the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool Version. The system will allow researchers to record young children's physical activity levels while also coding the topography of their physical activity, as well as detailed…

This article discusses how physical education teachers can help educate parents about their physical education program. In this article, NASPE would like to encourage physical education teachers to send a letter to parents of their students, publish it in the school newsletter or on the school web site, or send it to their local community…

Objectives: To test an original scale assessing perceived school climate for girls' physical activity in middle school girls. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: CFA retained 5 of 14 original items. A model with 2 correlated factors, perceptions about teachers' and boys' behaviors,…

This study was conducted to validate the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) for measuring physical activity levels of high-school students. Thirty-five students (21 girls and 14 boys from grades 9-12) completed a standardized protocol including lying, sitting, standing, walking, running, curl-ups, and push-ups. Heart rates and…

The present qualitative study emanates from a phenomenological perspective and has the purpose of creating an understanding for what a so-called hay sack is as well as understanding the experiences of a hay sack. In this context a hay sack refers to a person with low physical activity. Eight hay sacks between 36-58 years of age were interviewed…