Posts tagged teachers

Unique Obesity Prevention Program Benefits Weight, Motor Skills in Mexican-American Preschoolers

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6 months ago
by admin in ,

MiranosA new culturally tailored, multi-component obesity prevention program among minority preschool children can help create an environment that positively impacts weight and gross motor skill development in children at risk for obesity, according to a new study in the journal Childhood Obesity.

For the program, called Míranos!, researchers from UT San Antonio and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio tested whether it is possible to indoctrinate students with healthy behaviors — for life — via several positive interactions with their parents, teachers and school workers and a supportive learning environment at school and home.

Researchers tested the program among predominantly Mexican-American kids enrolled in Head Start in San Antonio, Texas.

Favorable changes occurred in weight scores, gross motor skill development, outdoor physical activity and eating healthy food among the children who participated in Míranos!.

“Míranos! is a unique example of using a systems approach to create change at multiple levels and synergize multiple components to promote changes in preschool children’s physical activity and dietary behaviors,” the researchers concluded.

Learn more here.

Activity Breaks: A Promising Strategy for Keeping Children Physically Active at School

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1 year ago
by admin in

Only one in four U.S. public elementary schools offered students physical activity breaks apart from physical education class and recess during the 2009–11 school years, according to a new report.

The report, Activity Breaks: A Promising Strategy for Keeping Children Physically Active at School by the Bridging the Gap program, examined the percentage of schools that provide physical activity breaks, including breaks for stretching, yoga, and other movement during and between classroom activities, outside of P.E. class and recess. It also considered the type and total duration of breaks and explored whether the use of activity breaks varies by school characteristics or by provision of other opportunities for activity.

Although most schools do not offer activity breaks, evidence suggests that students and teachers may benefit from such breaks.

Students in schools that offered physical activity breaks received an average of almost 40 minutes per week in such breaks. Previous studies have shown that offering students activity breaks during classes increases their levels of physical activity. Studies also confirm that allocating school time for physical activity does not adversely affect students’ academic performance. Further, scheduling brief activity breaks could be a promising strategy for promoting physical activity during the school day without creating additional challenges for teachers, administrators and students.

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