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

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Title: The evaluation of physical activity of children of school age Objectives: The aim of the study is to assess physical activity in children of school age in Prague 6 and evaluate the main factors influencing physical activities and the possible correlation between these factors and levels of physical activities. The work includes the spectrum of information about physical activity and its importance in the pediatric population, level overview of physical activities children in the world and its measurement, then the description of programs to support the physical activity. Methods: The research was carried out using non-standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to 15 elementary schools located in Prague 6 among students of 2nd and 6th class. We used the Microsoft Excel software to analyse the data. Results: We found that the largest number of children does sports 2-4 hours a day. Boys and younger students were more physically active than girls, and older students. The results of the work suggest that children in the Czech Republic are, in the monitored parameters of physical activity (frequency, time), at a similar level as other children abroad. Keywords: youth, sport, questionnaire, inactivity, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, pedometr

America's growing concern about fatness during the twentieth century developed in parallel with a society that made it increasingly harder to live a healthy lifestyle. Since the 1970s, sweeping political, economic, cultural, and familial changes have occurred in the United States. Many researchers argue that these changes have created an "obesogenic" environment that has contributed to the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in America by favoring inactivity and the over consumption of highly-processed, calorie-dense foods and beverages. As a result, the field of public health has increasingly begun to recognize obesity as a "societal disease." In 2001, The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity categorized the number of overweight and obese Americans as reaching "nationwide epidemic proportions." Since that time, America has waged an all-out "war on obesity." Instead of a broader emphasis on health promotion, some public health researchers have suggested that this heightened focus on obesity is 1) guided by America's historically-rooted social disdain for fatness and 2) insufficient to improve the healthy lifestyles of Americans. In searching for a solution to the so-called "obesity epidemic," a growing number of researchers have begun to look to models of social change. After an introductory chapter describing the scope of the problem, this dissertation provides an historical analysis of two, relevant social change models. The first historical case study is an examination of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's VERB social marketing campaign. The second study explores the model of social movements through the history of the aerobics "boom" of 1970s America. Based on these histories, this dissertation concludes by proposing a blended approach that harnesses the strengths of both models to organize and advance America's healthy living movement. / text

Youth obesity prevalence rates in the United States are trending down; however, for Hispanic youth, rates are increasing despite efforts toward a reduction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a culturally focused intervention program on weight reduction of Hispanic youth age 2 to 19 through examination of body mass index (BMI) percentile outcomes comparing age, gender, distance to program, time in program, and season of enrollment. Review of literature supports ecological and cultural approaches requiring behavior modification tailored to family and community as successful in decreasing youth obesity. However, researchers have yet to establish how various variables impact intervention outcomes making it difficult to determine what aspects of the cultural approach is effective. The epidemiology triangle and the social cognitive theory approach were used to relate to findings. Use of retrospective clinical archival participant data dating from November 7, 2008 to February 23, 2015 was analyzed through the use of various statistical applications. The analyses of this study indicated that only one age variable had significant results. The category for age 8 to12 had a significantly higher change in BMI than the other groups (p <.05) . This research has the potential to contribute to social change since it reveals that interventions tailored for the 8-12 age group may significantly improve the effectiveness of the program in reducing BMI percentile, thus decreasing obesity rates and associated disease along with morbidity and mortality. This knowledge can benefit educators, community collaborative efforts, practitioners, and other researchers.