title: Responses of health and physical educators to overweight children in Alabama.
abstract: The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the increasing problem of overweight children in Alabama including clinical definition, risk factors, and prevalence data. Health and physical educators should become familiar with guidelines released by national organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute of Medicine, and state departments of education and public health. These guidelines provide direction to health promotion program activities in schools, community, and recreational settings aimed at modifying predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors. Four examples are presented in the narrative to illustrate collaborative partnerships among health care organizations, a health insurer, public schools, an academic research university, and state agencies to enhance youth health. The final section provides practical recommendations for professional health and physical educators regarding obesity risk reduction.
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), School of Education, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Brian F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Geiger
authors.forename: Sandra K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sims
authors.forename: Retta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prier
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cochrane
authors.forename: Jason S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Fulmore
authors.forename: Verdell
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lett Dawson
authors.forename: Smyly
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kirkpatrick
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000407:Alabama / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D040441:Health Educators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D015995:Prevalence; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*