Research suggests that female athletes, in particular, experience “sport-environment” pressures such as: weight, performance, and body image demands from their coaches, teammates, and judges. These influences in tandem with society’s portrayal of the thin ideal are thought to considerably increase the risk of developing disordered eating problems in this population. Although numerous studies have been conducted over the past decade on the prevalence of eating disorders and pathogenic weight control behaviors among female athletes, few have examined in detail the weight pressures that exist within the sport environment, such as whether or not (and how often) athletes are weighed by their coaches, and how athletes respond to those pressures in terms of weight management practices. In the proposed study, we will examine the weigh-in environment, weight satisfaction, weight management practices, menstrual health, and reported source of nutritional guidance. The sample includes 414 NCAA Division I female collegiate swimmers/divers and gymnasts drawn from 26 universities across the U.S. Participants anonymously completed a series of questionnaires as part of a larger study on student-athlete health and well-being. This study found that 41% of athletes were weighed, and most often by an athletic trainer in private. Despite most weigh-ins were reportedly conducted in a positive manner, the majority of the athletes who were weighed (75%) reported using at least one strategy to manage their weight prior to weigh-ins (e.g. restrict food, increase exercise). Athletes desire to lose weight, caloric intake, and menstrual cycles were not related to whether athletes were or were not weighed. The majority of athletes received qualified nutritional guidance about how to healthfully manage their weight. Overall, weighing is occurring in a more positive manner than expected; however, athletes are continuing to report using unhealthy weight management strategies at a high rate. It seems important for athletic departments to set policies regarding weighing and to continue to provide support and education to coaching and support staff regarding eating disorder identification, referral, and treatment.

<p>Syftet med denna undersökning var att undersöka barnmorskans syn på kostrådgivning till gravida kvinnor, om och hur de ger information om kost och i så fall vad de informerar om. Vidare undersöktes till vilken grad barnmorskorna på mödravårdscentralerna följer de rekommendationer om kost till gravida kvinnor som Svenska Livsmedelsverket tagit fram. En deskriptiv tvärsnittsstudie genomfördes bland samtliga barnmorskor på mödravårdscentraler i Uppsala län. Det var 36 barnmorskor som deltog i studien (53 % svarsfrekvens) och som besvarade ett webbaserat frågeformulär. Resultatet från undersökningen visar att barnmorskorna ofta ger kostråd till den gravida kvinnan i samarbete med dietisten. Informationen ges då för det mesta både muntligt och skriftligt. Vidare visar resultatet att barnmorskorna anser att det är viktigt att ge kostråd till gravida kvinnor och att de allra flesta kvinnor får kostrådgivning på mödravårdscentralen. Barnmorskorna anser att de och den gravida kvinnan har ett gemensamt ansvar när det gäller information angående kost. Barnmorskorna grundar kostrådgivningen främst på Svenska Livsmedelsverkets rekommendationer och undersökningen visar att de informerar om det mesta som det Svenska Livsmedelsverket tar upp angående kost under graviditeten. Slutsatsen av denna undersökning är att barnmorskorna ger en individuellt anpassad kostrådgivning som följer det Svenska Livsmedelsverkets rekommendationer.</p> / <p>The aim of this study was to examine what view the midwives have on nutritional guidance towards pregnant women, if they give information regarding diets, and if so, how they inform pregnant women, and also what the information consists of. Furthermore, the aim of this study was to determine how the midwives comply with the recommendations given by the Swedish National Food Administration. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among all midwives at the maternity clinics in the county of Uppsala. There were 36 midwives that participated in the study (53 %) which consisted of a web based questionnaire. The result of this study indicated that the midwives frequently give nutritional guidance to the pregnant woman in collaboration with the dietician. The pregnant woman often receives both verbal and written information. The results also indicate that the midwives believe that it is important to give nutritional guidance to pregnant women and that most of them get this guidance at the maternity clinic. The attitude of the midwives is that they, together with the pregnant woman, have a mutual responsibility when it comes to information about nutrition during pregnancy. The midwives nutritional guidance is based on the given recommendations of the Swedish National Food Administration, and the study also shows that the information given by the midwife corresponds with the information that the Swedish National Food Administration emphasise. Therefore the conclusion of this study is that the midwives give an individually adjusted nutritional guidance which corresponds to the recommendations given by the Swedish National Food Administration.</p>

Syftet med denna undersökning var att undersöka barnmorskans syn på kostrådgivning till gravida kvinnor, om och hur de ger information om kost och i så fall vad de informerar om. Vidare undersöktes till vilken grad barnmorskorna på mödravårdscentralerna följer de rekommendationer om kost till gravida kvinnor som Svenska Livsmedelsverket tagit fram. En deskriptiv tvärsnittsstudie genomfördes bland samtliga barnmorskor på mödravårdscentraler i Uppsala län. Det var 36 barnmorskor som deltog i studien (53 % svarsfrekvens) och som besvarade ett webbaserat frågeformulär. Resultatet från undersökningen visar att barnmorskorna ofta ger kostråd till den gravida kvinnan i samarbete med dietisten. Informationen ges då för det mesta både muntligt och skriftligt. Vidare visar resultatet att barnmorskorna anser att det är viktigt att ge kostråd till gravida kvinnor och att de allra flesta kvinnor får kostrådgivning på mödravårdscentralen. Barnmorskorna anser att de och den gravida kvinnan har ett gemensamt ansvar när det gäller information angående kost. Barnmorskorna grundar kostrådgivningen främst på Svenska Livsmedelsverkets rekommendationer och undersökningen visar att de informerar om det mesta som det Svenska Livsmedelsverket tar upp angående kost under graviditeten. Slutsatsen av denna undersökning är att barnmorskorna ger en individuellt anpassad kostrådgivning som följer det Svenska Livsmedelsverkets rekommendationer. / The aim of this study was to examine what view the midwives have on nutritional guidance towards pregnant women, if they give information regarding diets, and if so, how they inform pregnant women, and also what the information consists of. Furthermore, the aim of this study was to determine how the midwives comply with the recommendations given by the Swedish National Food Administration. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among all midwives at the maternity clinics in the county of Uppsala. There were 36 midwives that participated in the study (53 %) which consisted of a web based questionnaire. The result of this study indicated that the midwives frequently give nutritional guidance to the pregnant woman in collaboration with the dietician. The pregnant woman often receives both verbal and written information. The results also indicate that the midwives believe that it is important to give nutritional guidance to pregnant women and that most of them get this guidance at the maternity clinic. The attitude of the midwives is that they, together with the pregnant woman, have a mutual responsibility when it comes to information about nutrition during pregnancy. The midwives nutritional guidance is based on the given recommendations of the Swedish National Food Administration, and the study also shows that the information given by the midwife corresponds with the information that the Swedish National Food Administration emphasise. Therefore the conclusion of this study is that the midwives give an individually adjusted nutritional guidance which corresponds to the recommendations given by the Swedish National Food Administration.

The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity worldwide is viewed as a global epidemic (World Health Organization, 2010). It is associated with a variety of health problems as well as physical– (cardio–respiratory endurance, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body composition), and motor proficiency (fine manual control, manual coordination, body coordination, and strength–and–agility) (Asayama et al., 2003:644; Okely et al., 2004:242; Tokmakidis et al., 2006:870). As far as the South African context is concerned, there is little research examining these relationships and the effect of physical intervention there upon, in nine– to 12–year old children. The first and second objectives of this study were to determine whether obesity would influence the physical– and/or the motor proficiency of nine– to 12–year–old South African children. The third and fourth objectives of this study were to determine the effect of a multidisciplinary intervention on the physical– and the motor proficiency of nine– to 12–year–old obese children. For objectives one and two, a cross–sectional study was performed on 280 children (128 boys and 152 girls), with an average age of 10.6 years (±1.05). Anthropometric–, physical– and motor measurements were obtained by the 'Fitnessgram' (Meredith & Welk, 1999) and the 'Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency–II' (Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005). Body mass index (BMI) cut–off points were used to classify the children as normal, overweight, or obese (Cole et al., 2000). The data was analysed with regard to the above–mentioned objectives with the Statistica computer program, by means of descriptive statistics, Spearman rank correlations, and variance analyses. The results show that the physical fitness variables, cardio–respiratory endurance and muscular strength, particularly leg muscular strength, showed significant decreases with an increase in BMI. A progressive, but insignificant, decrease was found in muscular endurance with an increase in BMI, while flexibility showed the weakest relationship to BMI. The motor variables strength–and–agility weakened significantly with an increase in BMI, while fine manual control, manual coordination, and body coordination showed the weakest relationships to BMI. Variance analysis showed further significant relationships among BMI, cardio–respiratory endurance, muscular strength, and running speed–and–agility (p<0.05). It can be concluded that health–promoting physical fitness and the motor proficiency of young South African children are negatively influenced by obesity and intervention strategies are recommended to promote the quality of life of such children. For objectives three and four, an availability random sample of 37 experimental subjects, with an average age of 11 years (±0.99) was taken, where 20 subjects (seven boys and 13 girls) took part in a multidisciplinary intervention programme, and 17 subjects (six boys and 11 girls) formed part of a control group. Body composition, physical–, and motor proficiency were analysed by the 'Fitnessgram' (Meredith & Welk, 1999) and the 'Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency–II' (Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005) during baseline measurements, on completion of the intervention programme, and after a follow–up period of three months. The results, which were analysed with a repeated–measures analysis, Bonferroni–post–hoc analysis, and dependent and independent t–tests, show that the intervention programme brought about a significant change in all the body composition variables, excluding body height. Flexibility, muscular strength, and abdominal muscular endurance, as well as one of the four fine manual control test items (folding paper), two of the 12 body coordination test items (tapping feet and fingers - opposite sides synchronised, and standing on one leg on a line - eyes closed), and six of the seven strength and agility test items (shuttle run, stepping sideways over a balance beam, one–legged stationary hops, one–legged side hops, two–legged side hops, and sit–ups), showed significant differences from the control group on completion of the intervention programme. The results indicate that the intervention brought about differences in body composition and physical– and motor proficiency and also showed a sustainable effect over a period of three months on body fat percentage, subscapular skinfold and leg muscular strength. From this, it can be deduced that young obese children need sustained guidance to be able to maintain the lifestyle adaptations that are required by obesity interventions. It can be concluded that the physical– and motor proficiency of children is negatively influenced by obesity, that a multidisciplinary intervention programme improves the body composition profile of obese children and has a positive effect on the physical– and the motor proficiency of obese nine– to 12–year old South African children, although the effect is not sustainable without ongoing, controlled intervention. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Kinderkinetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity worldwide is viewed as a global epidemic (World Health Organization, 2010). It is associated with a variety of health problems as well as physical– (cardio–respiratory endurance, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body composition), and motor proficiency (fine manual control, manual coordination, body coordination, and strength–and–agility) (Asayama et al., 2003:644; Okely et al., 2004:242; Tokmakidis et al., 2006:870). As far as the South African context is concerned, there is little research examining these relationships and the effect of physical intervention there upon, in nine– to 12–year old children. The first and second objectives of this study were to determine whether obesity would influence the physical– and/or the motor proficiency of nine– to 12–year–old South African children. The third and fourth objectives of this study were to determine the effect of a multidisciplinary intervention on the physical– and the motor proficiency of nine– to 12–year–old obese children. For objectives one and two, a cross–sectional study was performed on 280 children (128 boys and 152 girls), with an average age of 10.6 years (±1.05). Anthropometric–, physical– and motor measurements were obtained by the 'Fitnessgram' (Meredith & Welk, 1999) and the 'Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency–II' (Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005). Body mass index (BMI) cut–off points were used to classify the children as normal, overweight, or obese (Cole et al., 2000). The data was analysed with regard to the above–mentioned objectives with the Statistica computer program, by means of descriptive statistics, Spearman rank correlations, and variance analyses. The results show that the physical fitness variables, cardio–respiratory endurance and muscular strength, particularly leg muscular strength, showed significant decreases with an increase in BMI. A progressive, but insignificant, decrease was found in muscular endurance with an increase in BMI, while flexibility showed the weakest relationship to BMI. The motor variables strength–and–agility weakened significantly with an increase in BMI, while fine manual control, manual coordination, and body coordination showed the weakest relationships to BMI. Variance analysis showed further significant relationships among BMI, cardio–respiratory endurance, muscular strength, and running speed–and–agility (p<0.05). It can be concluded that health–promoting physical fitness and the motor proficiency of young South African children are negatively influenced by obesity and intervention strategies are recommended to promote the quality of life of such children. For objectives three and four, an availability random sample of 37 experimental subjects, with an average age of 11 years (±0.99) was taken, where 20 subjects (seven boys and 13 girls) took part in a multidisciplinary intervention programme, and 17 subjects (six boys and 11 girls) formed part of a control group. Body composition, physical–, and motor proficiency were analysed by the 'Fitnessgram' (Meredith & Welk, 1999) and the 'Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency–II' (Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005) during baseline measurements, on completion of the intervention programme, and after a follow–up period of three months. The results, which were analysed with a repeated–measures analysis, Bonferroni–post–hoc analysis, and dependent and independent t–tests, show that the intervention programme brought about a significant change in all the body composition variables, excluding body height. Flexibility, muscular strength, and abdominal muscular endurance, as well as one of the four fine manual control test items (folding paper), two of the 12 body coordination test items (tapping feet and fingers - opposite sides synchronised, and standing on one leg on a line - eyes closed), and six of the seven strength and agility test items (shuttle run, stepping sideways over a balance beam, one–legged stationary hops, one–legged side hops, two–legged side hops, and sit–ups), showed significant differences from the control group on completion of the intervention programme. The results indicate that the intervention brought about differences in body composition and physical– and motor proficiency and also showed a sustainable effect over a period of three months on body fat percentage, subscapular skinfold and leg muscular strength. From this, it can be deduced that young obese children need sustained guidance to be able to maintain the lifestyle adaptations that are required by obesity interventions. It can be concluded that the physical– and motor proficiency of children is negatively influenced by obesity, that a multidisciplinary intervention programme improves the body composition profile of obese children and has a positive effect on the physical– and the motor proficiency of obese nine– to 12–year old South African children, although the effect is not sustainable without ongoing, controlled intervention. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Kinderkinetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.