Researchers from Loyola University compared African American women in Chicago with women in rural Nigeria. On average, the Chicago women weighed 184 pounds and the Nigerian women weighed 127 pounds. Researchers had expected to find that the slimmer Nigerian women would be more physically active. To their surprise, they found no significant difference between the two groups in the amount of calories burned during physical activity. We would love to say that physical activity has a positive effect on weight control, but that does not appear to be the case, said one of the researchers.
12 male strength/power athletes underwent two testing sessions. They got either 120 ml of a high energy drink (Redline Extreme) or 120 ml of a placebo. After training they answered questions on their feelings of energy, fatigue, alertness and focus for that moment. Results indicate a significant increase in reaction performance, with no effect on anaerobic power performance. In addition, ingestion of this supplement significantly improves subjective feelings of focus and energy in male strength/power athletes.
This intervention promoted stair use among people attending the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting in 2001. After 3 days of observation a prominent sign stating “Be a role model. Use the stairs!” was posted. 16,978 observations were made. Stair use increased from 22% to 29%. Active choices (stair use or walk up escalator) increased from 28% to 40%. CONCLUSIONS: Relatively few conference attendees were persuaded to stair-use behavior. Health professionals should be encouraged to be “active living” role models.
PEOPLE who have been treated for skin cancer have an increased risk of developing a new primary cancer according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Gender differences in response to a physical activity intervention in overweight and obese children
Jan 7
This study evaluated the effects of gender on response to a behavioral intervention that rewarded increases in PA with increases in access to TV viewing. 30 overweight or obese, 8- to 12-year-old children wore accelerometers every day for 8 weeks. Intervention kids accumulating 400 counts of PA on accelerometers earned 1 hour of TV time. Controls wore activity monitors but had free access to TV. Neither boys nor girls in the control group showed significant changes in overall PA or intensity of PA. Wearing an accelerometer in combination with rewarding PA with TV might be a more effective intervention for increasing overall PA and time spent in MVPA in overweight and obese boys than it is for overweight or obese girls.
Postal questionnaires from 742 members of of the general population of Geneva, Switzerland in 1996. And 1487 in 2006. Participants rated 13 different health problems. Smoking, poor diet and lack of physical activity were more likely to be perceived as priorities in 2006 than in 1996, whereas priority ratings decreased for AIDS. The prevention of sexual abuse of children was perceived as the highest priority by all respondent groups.
Although childhood physical fitness seems to reveal some inverse associations with obesity and blood pressure in early adulthood, these effects diminished markedly into middle age. This is found in a long long study from Norway. Follow-up data were collected for 1016 teenagers in 1991, 1999 and 2006. Fiste measurement was in 1981. At baseline, physical fitness was inversely related to BMI, triceps skinfold thickness, and blood pressure. These associations were also present in prospective analyses at ages 15, 25 (except for systolic blood pressure), and 33 years (only BMI measured) – albeit with progressively diminishing magnitude and lost at age 40.
Junk food was studied among 1019 children and adolescent in the Haidian District in Beijing. 97.5% had eaten at least one type of junk food and 15.88% of them had eaten all types: deep fried food, pickled food, processed meat products, biscuits, coke or alike drinks, convenience/fast food, canned food, dried or preserved fruit, cold and sweet food, barbecue food. Most of the children and adolescent ate junk food mainly during breakfast at home. Most of the surveyed children and adolescent did not have correct idea on nutrition of junk food.
Farmworkers ad their families were on-goingly asked whether or not they had consumed a given fruit or vegetable in the past month. The proportion of respondents who ate apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, peppers, corn, and cucumbers was highest in the fall harvest season, whereas the proportions of those who ate cherries and asparagus were highest in the summer thinning season.
Making time for meals
Jan 7
1,687 young adult (mean age=20.5 years; 44% male) participated replyed to questionairs. Eating dinner with others was significantly associated with several markers of better dietary intake, including higher intakes of F&V. Eating on the run was significantly associated with higher intakes of soft drinks, fast food, total fat and saturated fat, and lower intake of several healthful foods. Findings suggest that health services and programs for young adults should encourage taking the time to sit down for meals and to share meals with others.