The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to identify, in a large representative sample of Canadian children, the age-related trajectories of overweight and obesity from toddlerhood into childhood and (b) to investigate the associations between these trajectories and children’s temperaments, their parents’ parenting practices and their interactions. Potentially important familial characteristics (i.e., the parents’ or surrogates’ age, income level, and educational attainment) were considered in the models. The sample for this study was drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Group-based mixture modeling analyses were conducted to identify the number and types of distinct trajectories in the development of obesity (i.e., to explicate the developmental processes in the variability of childhood obesity) in a representative sample of children who were between 24 to 35 months of age, at baseline, and followed biennially over a 6-year span. Discriminant analysis was conducted to assess the theoretical notion of goodness-of-fit between parenting practices and children’s temperament, and their association with membership in the BMI trajectory groups. The results of the group-based modeling established three different BMI trajectories for the boys, namely: stable-normal BMI, transient-high BMI, and j-curve obesity. The analyses revealed four different trajectories of BMI change for the girls: stable-normal BMI, early-declining BMI, late-declining BMI, and accelerating rise to obesity. The multivariate analysis revealed that the combined predictors of the obesity trajectories of the girls (group membership) included having a fussy temperament, ineffective parenting, and parents’ educational attainment. Predictors of the boys’ obesity trajectory (group membership) included household income, parental education, and effective parenting practices. Understanding the different ways in which a child may develop obesity will allow nurses and other health professionals to take different approaches in the assessment, intervention and evaluation of obesity and obesity-related health problems. The results of this study further our understanding of factors associated with the development of obesity at a young age and hence may inform the development of early preventive programs.

This dissertation presents three separate studies investigating elementary school personnel's perceptions of and recommendations for managing child obesity. First, a systematic literature review will be presented with an assessment of the very limited current body of literature related to elementary school personnel's perceptions of child obesity to determine the direction of the second and third studies. The systematic review presents personnel's perspectives of (1) the extent of child obesity, (2) contributing factors of child obesity, (3) solutions for child obesity, and (4) barriers to overcoming child obesity. Second, drawing upon the systematic review, a qualitative investigation of elementary school personnel's perceptions of and recommendations for managing child obesity will be presented. Utilizing an emergent design, data collection comprised one-on-one interviews with 31 elementary school personnel. A thematic analysis was employed on raw data and a socioecological model was utilized to explain emergent themes. Participating school personnel identified the home environment and parental factors as the leading factors contributing to child obesity. Personnel also emphasized child control of dietary and physical activity choices, most notably within the home environment. Third, a qualitative case study examining an elementary physical education (P.E.) teacher's perspectives of the impact of obesity on her obese students' experiences in her classroom will be presented. A narrative framework was employed, utilizing both thematic and structural analyses to examine the narratives elicited during the interview. The thematic analysis illuminated a participation refusal pattern of obese students within this P.E. teacher's classroom. The structural analysis highlighted the participating P.E. teacher's customized intervention for her obese students' participation refusals. The combination of thematic and structural methodologies resulted in a preliminary model of the behavioral impact of obesity in this P.E. classroom, which provided a more holistic view than either method alone. Prior to this study, just seven studies had investigated elementary school personnel's perceptions of and recommendations for managing child obesity; only three of which were published in the past decade. Thus, this study is both timely and desperately needed. The valuable insights gained from participating elementary school personnel in this study provide a justification for their inclusion in future studies addressing child obesity.

Relatively few studies have examined the effects of psychostimulants in obese subjects. Using the dietary obese rat model, the present experiments determined the reductions in food intake (hypophagia) and increases in locomotion (hyperlocomotion) induced by cocaine in diet-induced obese prone (DIO-prone) rats and diet resistant prone (DR-prone) rats as well as diet-induced obese (DIO) rats and diet resistant (DR) rats. In Experiment 1, thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were given intra-peritoneal (i.p.) injections of cocaine (0, 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg) immediately prior to placement into locomotor chambers outfitted with a food source and a water source for a 60-minute test period. In Experiment 2, the same rats were exposed to a high-fat diet, and were subsequently divided into groups according to the extent of the weight gain (high weight gainers œ DIO group, low weight gainers œ DR group, and residual weight gainers œ MIX group). The rats were retested for reactivity to cocaine using conditions similar to those in Experiment 1. Rats injected with cocaine prior to high-fat exposure (Experiment 1) showed a dose dependent suppression of food intake, as well as a dose dependent increase in locomotor activity, with DR-prone rats exhibiting an enhanced degree of cocaine-induced hypophagia, as well as cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion as compared to the other groups. In Experiment 2, DIO rats exhibited a suppression of food intake after injection of 10 mg/kg cocaine, as well as an increase in locomotor activity that was significantly greater than noted in the other groups. When the results of Experiment 1 were analyzed as a function of prospective body weight gain (as opposed to placement into distinct groups), reactivity to cocaine decreased as body weight gain increased. In contrast, after high-fat exposure and weight gain, increased body weight gain was associated with an increased magnitude of suppression in food intake after cocaine administration. Similar patterns of differential cocaine sensitivity were observed for cocaine hyperlocomotion in Experiment 2. These studies indicate that although the propensity to develop obesity is associated with a diminished cocaine response, cocaine reactivity is enhanced after the induction of obesity.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 173-210). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Physical Education, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 47-06, page: 3557. Adviser: Arnold J. Schecter. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 95 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-90).

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to identify, in a large representative sample of Canadian children, the age-related trajectories of overweight and obesity from toddlerhood into childhood and (b) to investigate the associations between these trajectories and children’s temperaments, their parents’ parenting practices and their interactions. Potentially important familial characteristics (i.e., the parents’ or surrogates’ age, income level, and educational attainment) were considered in the models. The sample for this study was drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Group-based mixture modeling analyses were conducted to identify the number and types of distinct trajectories in the development of obesity (i.e., to explicate the developmental processes in the variability of childhood obesity) in a representative sample of children who were between 24 to 35 months of age, at baseline, and followed biennially over a 6-year span. Discriminant analysis was conducted to assess the theoretical notion of goodness-of-fit between parenting practices and children’s temperament, and their association with membership in the BMI trajectory groups. The results of the group-based modeling established three different BMI trajectories for the boys, namely: stable-normal BMI, transient-high BMI, and j-curve obesity. The analyses revealed four different trajectories of BMI change for the girls: stable-normal BMI, early-declining BMI, late-declining BMI, and accelerating rise to obesity. The multivariate analysis revealed that the combined predictors of the obesity trajectories of the girls (group membership) included having a fussy temperament, ineffective parenting, and parents’ educational attainment. Predictors of the boys’ obesity trajectory (group membership) included household income, parental education, and effective parenting practices. Understanding the different ways in which a child may develop obesity will allow nurses and other health professionals to take different approaches in the assessment, intervention and evaluation of obesity and obesity-related health problems. The results of this study further our understanding of factors associated with the development of obesity at a young age and hence may inform the development of early preventive programs.

Obesity affects over 100 million men, women, and children in North America alone and has reached what health professionals deem to be epidemic proportions. Being overweight can contribute to or cause chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Left unabated, it will lead to the premature death of millions. Clinical practice relies primarily on individual interventions to bring about lifestyle change. However, this may not be sufficient to reverse the trend on a population scale. Distance education is one area that is seen by some as one of the tools that is capable of reaching such a large audience. This mixed methods case study examined the perceived utility of a number of distance education tools and technologies and the likelihood of overweight and obese individuals adopting and using them. A number of distance education tools and technologies were found to be very useful, some that could be promising but will require further study, and still others that don't offer value and won't for the foreseeable future. / August 2011

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