title: Promoting healthy lifestyles in children: a pilot program of be a fit kid.
abstract: Be a Fit Kid is a 12-week program aimed at improving physical activity and nutritional habits in children. The physical activity component of the program emphasized cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular strength, and bone development through running, yoga, jumping, and strength exercises. All activities were individualized and noncompetitive. The nutrition component focused on current dietary guidelines that emphasize a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, unsaturated fats, and whole grains, and low in saturated fat and sugar. Following the 12-week intervention, significant improvements were observed in body composition, fitness, nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, and in those who participated 75% of the time, significant reductions in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were observed. Findings from the pilot trial suggest that health promotion programs can be well received by children and may favorably alter overweight and the development of adult lifestyle-related diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Physical Education at Southern Oregon University, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slawta
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bentley
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Lucien
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Syman-Degler
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008074:Lipoproteins