The amount of time that schoolchildren spent in the gym class was found to reduce the probability of obesity, finds study from Cornell University.
The study represents some of the first evidence of a causal effect of PE on youth obesity, and is forthcoming in the Journal of Health Economics.
Obesity
Obesity is a condition where there is excess accumulation of body fat which poses a risk to the health of the individual. It can affect children and adults.
Advertisement
The research offers support for the recommendations of organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control, Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, all of which have advocated increasing the amount of time that elementary school children spend in gym class, says lead researcher and Cornell professor of policy analysis and management, John Cawley, who conducted the study with Chad Meyerhoefer of Lehigh University (Cornell Ph.D. 2002) and David Frisvold of Emory University.
Treating variation in the amount of time that states mandate schoolchildren spend in PE as natural experiments, the researchers found that an additional 60 minutes per week of PE time (enough to bring states without an explicit requirement up to the amount of PE recommended by the CDC) reduces the probability that a fifth-grader is obese by 4.8 percentage points.
![Quiz on Obesity]( "Quiz on Obesity")
"We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are". - Adelle Davis There are thousands out there battling 'the bulge'. With childhood obesity on the rise even children are not spared. If your weight issues are threatening to weigh you down learn more about obesity by taking part in this quiz.
The researchers also detected a gender difference: additional PE time reduces weight for boys but has a negligible effect for girls. One explanation for this difference, says Cawley, is that PE and other types of physical activity are complements for boys (increased PE leads boys to be more active in structured physical activities like organized sports), but substitutes for girls (increased PE leads girls to spend more time watching television).
Source: Eurekalert
Quiz on Obesity
"We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are". - Adelle Davis There are thousands out there battling 'the bulge'. With childhood obesity on the rise even children are not spared. If your weight issues are threatening to weigh you down learn more about obesity by taking part in this quiz.
Advertisement
The researchers also detected a gender difference: additional PE time reduces weight for boys but has a negligible effect for girls. One explanation for this difference, says Cawley, is that PE and other types of physical activity are complements for boys (increased PE leads boys to be more active in structured physical activities like organized sports), but substitutes for girls (increased PE leads girls to spend more time watching television).
Source: Eurekalert
Taking a Call While Working Out at a Gym Causes Woman to Lose Membership
A Boston woman is disgruntled at the treatment meted out to her at a gym where she was a member and used the service regularly.
Advertisement
 Body Mass IndexThe BMI calculator helps you assess your weight indicating if it is normal or if you are underweight or overweight, based on your height. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Obesity News
Regular exercise in obese individuals lowers memory loss and cognitive impairment, preventing neurodegenerative disorders including dementia.
Clinicians should take into account patients' BMI and RA-FQ scores when devising treatment strategies for RA flares, suggest researchers.
Study reveals the importance of host glycosylation, particularly GlcNAc-6-O-sulfation on intestinal mucins, in safeguarding against obesity and gut inflammation.
Metabolically healthy obesity are obese people with no metabolic complications but are at higher risk of metabolic co-morbidities compared to normal people.
KDS2010 drug was found to regulate astrocytes in brain which enhances fat metabolism resulting in weight loss without the need for dietary restrictions.