America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Obesity rates among adults have increased by more than 60% in the last 10 years to where approximately 25% of American adults are obese today. According to Dr. Duane Alexander, Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH, 2003), the number of obese children is…

Changes in median age, family structure, and fitness attitudes are affecting city park usage. Many park and recreation people are on the fringes of fitness but need to provide more programs. Ways of providing fitness programs are discussed. (MT)

American children are in poor physical shape. Contribution of the National Fitness Coalition and how recreation professional can help youth get and stay fit are explored. (DF)

The YMCA has helped train and employ fitness leaders while educating the public on physical fitness. Colleges and universities can help develop careers in fitness while maintaining their traditional role of developing teachers and coaches. (DF)

A description is given of an exercise program designed to improve the physical condition and health of older adults. (JD)

A beginning swimming program for the elderly is designed to help them improve flexibility, cardiovascular efficiency, and psychological well-being and to minimize the effects of biological aging. (JN)

Efforts to qualitatively measure the effectiveness of military recreational programs have met only negligible success. This is due in part to a lack of definitive data and a lack of scientific assessment tools for adequately measuring performance objectives. (JN)

This booklet offers information on a variety of programs being offered for Navy youth by the Navy Recreation Services. The guide illustrates the types of programs being conducted, and highlights some exceptional programs. A chart presents a listing of youth team sports, indoor and outdoor sports, special events, fitness camps, parent clubs, and…

This paper describes several types of computer programs that can be useful to sports and recreation programs. Computerized tournament scheduling software is helpful to recreation and parks staff working with tournaments of 50 teams/individuals or more. Important features include team capacity, league formation, scheduling conflicts, scheduling…

Describes the objectives, history, programs, resources, participants, funding, and facilities of the Vinland National Center near Loretto (Minnesota), a training center for disabled persons in "healthsports" (physical fitness, sports, and recreational skills), education, and lifestyle. Available from CEFP International, 29 West Woodruff…

The article describes morale, welfare, and recreation programs and activities developed by professionally trained civilians for U.S. service personnel stationed in the Persian Gulf. Army, Navy, and Marine service personnel responded overwhelmingly to programs that allowed them to stay physically fit, participate in activities, write, draw, and…

Presented in this publication are papers given at three conferences coordinated and conducted by the National Association of Athletic Trainers Professional Education Committee. The authors are nationally known athletic trainers, physicians, and other sports medicine professionals. The papers are grouped into four major categories representing…