The National Football League PLAY 60 programming significantly improved both aerobic capacity and body mass index among students who participated in the program.
Childhood Fitness Reduces Long-Term Cardiovascular Risks
Higher aerobic fitness in childhood, independent of abdominal fat, reduced the risk of developing metabolic syndrome in early adulthood.
Higher aerobic fitness in childhood, independent of abdominal fat, reduced the risk of developing metabolic syndrome in early adulthood.
‘Schools that implemented the National Football League (NFL) fitness programs had better health and fitness profiles than schools that chose not to implement them or only did so, partially.’
The study, funded by the NFL, was conducted by The Cooper
Institute and led by lead author Yang Bai, assistant professor in
rehabilitation and movement sciences at the University of Vermont. The study focused on the impact of the two most popular NFL PLAY 60 programs: Fuel Up to PLAY 60 coordinated by the National Dairy Council; and NFL PLAY 60 Challenge developed with the American Heart Association. Among the 95 programming schools, researchers found larger gains in the percentage of youth that achieved national health standards for aerobic fitness between 2012 and 2015. The percentage of youth classified as overweight or obese also declined during the same time period.
Overall, schools that implemented the programs had better health and fitness profiles than schools that chose not choose to implement them or only did so partially. Students from the schools that did not implement the programs remained at almost the same level of aerobic capacity and weight status. The study also showed that schools that implemented the programming for four years tended to have greater fitness improvements compared to schools that participated for just two or three years. Approximately 500 schools were involved in the study at varying levels.
Childhood Obesity - Criteria - Causes - Complications, Treatment
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious health challenges in the developing countries and needs to be understood and tackled effectively.
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious health challenges in the developing countries and needs to be understood and tackled effectively.
"It’s rare to see such a large-scale program involving around 1,000 schools over multiple years. It’s different from conventional intervention programs in that teachers and staff along with parents and community members are the key players in promoting healthy eating and a physically active environment for kids. The program cannot be sustained over time without those motivated and hardworking teachers. We are eager to see how this additional funding and support might help local teachers and their students."
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Mantra to Prevent Childhood Obesity - Vigorous Physical Activity
Being physically very active is the mantra to prevent pediatric obesity rather than concentrating efforts at restricting energy consumption.
Being physically very active is the mantra to prevent pediatric obesity rather than concentrating efforts at restricting energy consumption.
The NFL PLAY 60 FitnessGram Partnership Project was used to evaluate student progress as recorded by teachers at participating schools who received training on how to use of the FitnessGram program by staff from The Cooper Institute, a non-profit agency that coordinated the study, and study author Greg Welk, professor at Iowa State University and Scientific Director of FitnessGram. Teachers were trained to assess their student’s fitness each year and to enter it through the web-based software.
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Tax on Soft Drinks, Sugary Drinks can Cut Childhood Obesity
Imposing sugar tax on soft drinks and other sugary drinks can potentially improve health of thousands of adults and children by reducing rates of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
Imposing sugar tax on soft drinks and other sugary drinks can potentially improve health of thousands of adults and children by reducing rates of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
Source-Eurekalert
