Physical education teacher education (PETE) programs are often driven in large part by the external demands of state and national accreditation, such as standardized teacher certification exams. Furthermore, the state of New York requires that practicing teachers be evaluated each year through structured observations, together with quantitative…

Background: Health literacy is crucial to develop health-related knowledge, adopt healthy lifestyles, and benefit from health care services. However, research on the association between health literacy and adolescent health outcomes, particularly on their prospective associations, is rare. We assessed health literacy using 3 validated measures,…

Objective: To investigate the effects of a short exercise intervention based on the use of a Zumba Fitness® programme on the quality of life (QoL) in inactive adult workers. Design: Non-experimental pre-test/post-test study involving one experimental group of inactive university workers. Setting: Riobamba in the Andean region of central Ecuador.…

By promoting physical activities and incorporating them into their community-based programs, Extension professionals are improving the health of individuals, particularly those with limited resources. This article is the third in a three-part series describing the benefits of physical activity for human health: (1) biological health benefits of…

Background: The evidence base for weight management programmes incorporating a weight loss and a weight maintenance phase for adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) is limited. This study describes the weight maintenance phase of a multicomponent weight management programme for adults with intellectual disability and obesity (TAKE 5).…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a treadmill walk-jog-run exercise test previously validated in adults and physical activity questionnaire data to estimate maximum oxygen consumption (VO[subscript 2]max) in boys (n = 62) and girls (n = 66) aged 12 to 17 years old. Methods: Data were collected from Physical Activity…

Sibling relationships are some of the most influential throughout one's life. While family influences have often been examined in sports settings, less has been studied regarding the specific roles siblings may play. Research suggests that the way athletes view sport participation can be shaped by their experiences and relationships with siblings.…

Creativity is described as an important cognitive process by which ideas are generated, developed and transformed. Despite the importance of creativity for students' intellectual development, the types of outdoor physical activities students engage in within primary schools according to creativity criteria has yet to be explored. The purpose of…

Many children in the United States fail to meet the national recommendations for daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, children with disabilities are more sedentary than their typically developed peers. Comprehensive school physical activity programming (CSPAP) is a whole-of-school approach to provide children with…

Early experiences in physical education (PE) either encourage or repress lifelong participation in physical activity (PA). PE programs supportive of lifelong participation are grounded in self-determination theory, achievement goal theory, and National Standards for PE and have PE teachers who overcome barriers by integrating the theories and…

The high rates of overweight and obesity continue to be a major health concern in the United States. Teachers and teacher training programs too often overlook students who are overweight and obese and their experiences in physical education. This article reviews literature on the perceptions of overweight students regarding physical education and…

This article includes an historical review of research on physical activity and health, and how the findings have contributed to physical activity participation and promotion today. In the 20th century, research began to accumulate on the effects of exercise on physiological functions, and later on the relation between regular activity and various…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the process and outcome of an intervention using the project-based learning (PBL) model to increase students' health-related fitness (HRF) knowledge. Method: The participants were 185 fifth-grade students from three schools in Alabama (PBL group: n = 109; control group: n = 76). HRF knowledge was…

Extension programming that incorporates both physical activity and dietary behaviors is necessary for the prevention of certain chronic diseases, including obesity. The purpose of the study presented here was to systematically identify the presence of physical activity objectives in the strategic plan for each Extension system in the United…

The purpose of this study was (a) to test a hypothesized model of motivation within the context of conceptual physical education (CPE), and (b) to explore the strength and directionality of perceived competence for physical activity as a possible mediator for health-related fitness knowledge (HRFK) and physical activity behaviors. High school…