Kids & Teens
GeoPalz Gets Families Moving
September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Help inspire the younger generations to become more active and fit with GeoPalz, an online fitness tracking website that offers rewards based on daily steps taken. A husband-and-wife team created the site to encourage their own kids to get moving. Children simply wear a pedometer to count daily steps taken, and then log the total each day. After logging a certain number of steps, a child is eligible to receive an activity-oriented prize such as a soccer ball or a Frisbee®.
Body Image Issues Affect Youth
A recent study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Nursing (2011; doi: 10.1111/j.1365-27022011.03739.x) uncovered troubling evidence that children as young as age 10 engage in self-induced vomiting in order to lose weight. The survey included 15,716 Taiwanese boys and girls aged 10–18 from 120 schools. Each participant was asked to complete a survey that included questions on topics such as physical activity, diet, sleep, sedentary behavior and self-induced vomiting and dietary behaviors. School nurses then measured each student’s height and body weight.
Overweight at 18 Increases Cancer Risk
Here’s another bit of news to help encourage overweight men to drop the extra pounds. A link has been found between excess weight in 18-year-old males and increased risk of cancer-related death later in life. The Harvard Alumni Health Study cohort involved 19,593 males who had had physical examinations when they were 18. The men then submitted follow-up questionnaires at age 45, with a final vital status follow-up at a maximum of 82 years. After analyzing the data, researchers learned that 2,395 of the men had died of some form of cancer.
Candy and Obesity: Are More Treats Good for Kids?
Is eating more candy an anti-obesity strategy? That would have Willy Wonka dancing a jig with the Oompa Loompas and the rest of the candy industry.
A controversial study from Louisiana State University published in the peer-reviewed Swedish journal Food & Nutrition Research (2011) showed that kids and adolescents who ate candy were significantly less likely to be overweight or obese.
Sprints Improve CVD Risk Factors in Youth
Experts believe that physical activity participation in youth can promote good health into adulthood. According to a recent study, one way youngsters can reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors is to participate in brief periods of high-intensity exercise (HIT). The study subjects included 47 boys and 10 girls who were approximately 16.4 years of age. They were separated into three groups: high intensity, moderate intensity and control.
Sprints Improve CVD Risk Factors in Youth
Males concerned with fertility might want to step off the bike and supplement with other forms of physical activity. A report published in Fertility and Sterility (2011; 95 [3], 1025-30)…
What Do You Think a Trainer’s Role Should Be in Helping Kids Get Fit?
I think the biggest role a trainer has in helping kids is leadership. Lead by example, lead by educating and lead by making exercise fun and enjoyable. The statistics are scary, [indicating that life expectancy for today’s children could be shorter than it is for their parents, because of obesity]. It is our duty as fitness professionals to recognize that children need our help in a lot more ways than we can imagine.
Mom’s Workload and Childhood Obesity Linked?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that 71% of moms were employed in 2007. Some research has shown an association between mothers who work and children with higher BMIs. A recent study published in Child Development (2011; 82 [1], 66–81) suggests that the length of a mother’s employment may be more associated with her child’s BMI, as opposed to the fact of employment alone.
Tell Your Kids to Take a Hike
Want a great way to combine family time and physical activity? Head into the great outdoors and take a hike. “Getting kids outside is more important than ever,” states outdoor enthusiast Jeff Alt. “Television, computer and video game addictions are replacing outdoor playtime. Passive inside entertainment is contributing to the national obesity epidemic.” Here are Alt’s tips for getting kids excited about hiking:
Facebook and eating disorders in adolescent girls
Eating disorders and disordered eating already comprise very complex sets of thoughts and behaviors. Past studies have shown that women and girls are most vulnerable. Can exposure to media such as Facebook make young girls even more susceptible?
energy drinks could pose serious risk for youth
Think twice before letting your young clients or your own children swig energy drinks.
New research from pediatric researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine shows that these beverages may pose a risk for “serious adverse health effects in some children, especially those with diabetes, seizures, cardiac abnormalities, or mood and behavior disorders.”
Obesity Rates High Among Infants and Toddlers
As obesity rates continue to rise, it seems all sectors of the population are affected. A newly published study of 16,400 children born in the United States in 2001 has revealed that 31.9% of 9-month-old babies and 34.3% of 2-year-olds were obese or at risk for obesity. The study appeared in the January/February issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion (2011; 25 [13], 190). Hispanic children and children from lower-income families had the highest obesity risk of all populations. Male children were at greater risk than female children.
do parents really influence kids’ eating habits?
Lead by example. The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree. A chip off the old block. These aphorisms all fit the time-honored tradition of children adopting good behaviors—which hopefully include healthy eating habits—when these are modeled by adults, right? Not so, says a team of researchers from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, the National Institute on Aging and the University of Zaragoza in Spain, who reported in the December 2010 Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health that setting a solid example goes only so far.
Falcons Set Guinness Record
In the January 2011 issue of IDEA Fitness Journal, it was reported that the Washington Redskins football team set a record for the largest virtual exercise lesson for kids. That record was recently shattered by the Atlanta Falcons, who hosted a morning exercise class for 2,288 children at the Georgia Dome. According to the Falcons’ website, the event was also streamed live on the Internet so children throughout the state could participate in the half-hour workout.
Strength Training Benefits Kids, Says Study
It has been recognized that resistance training can be an important component of adolescent fitness. But does age play a role in muscular adaptation? According to a study published in Pediatrics (2010; 126 [5], e1199–e1210), the answer is “yes.” Researchers from the German Sport University Cologne combed through 42 previously published studies of more than 1,700 children and teenagers. The subjects in the studies had been assigned to perform strength training using free weights or machines.
Pilates for Teens; Video Evaluation for Instructors
I thoroughly enjoyed Zoey Trap’s article “Pilates: Tools for Teen Athletes” in IDEA Fitness Journal [Inner IDEA, November–December 2010]. I’ve always been an advocate of using the principles of Pilates not only literally, but figuratively, as metaphors for life. I applaud her for commencing with the teen market.
President’s Council Expands
The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports has changed its name and extended its reach to include nutrition. “This year we’re expanding the work of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition to include not just a focus on active lifestyles, but healthy eating, too,” stated First Lady Michelle Obama in a press release.
Childhood Obesity Rates Increase Worldwide
Childhood obesity rates climbed 10% for all United States children and 18% for female children between 2003 and 2007, according to a recent issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (July 2010; 164 [7], 598–607). Utah and Mississippi showed an overweight prevalence of 23.1% and 44.5%, respectively, among kids aged 10–17 years.
Resistance Training and Cardiovascular Exercise for Obese Youth
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), children and teens should be physically active for at least 60 minutes on most, if not all, days of the week. This recommendation states that the 60 minutes may be accrued in “smaller chunks” of time throughout the day (HHS 2010). However, Troiano et al. (2008) report that only 8% of youth aged 12–19 years are active for a full 60 minutes per day.
Washington Redskins Get Kids Moving en Masse
On Tuesday, September 21, 2010, the Washington Redskins football team hosted the largest virtual exercise lesson in world history. According to information on the Redskins’ website, 646 boys and girls from the Washington, DC, area filled FedExField for a 30-minute workout. The workout was led by players such as Andre Carter and Chris Cooley and was viewed on 100-foot-wide HD video boards. Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb wandered among the children, offering cheers and words of encouragement.