title: Reducing risk factors for childhood obesity: the Tommie Smith Youth Athletic Initiative.
abstract: This study has sought to determine if the Tommie Smith Youth Athletic Initiative (TSYAI) intervention could decrease the risk factors for childhood obesity among children 5 to 10 years of age. The TSYAI intervention is a 14-week after-school intervention for students in Grades K-5 that was started during the spring of 2008. It serves 63 children in a predominantly African American elementary school. The intervention consists of supervised after-school sessions 3 days per week. These sessions include 2 days of physical activity (flexibility, resistance, and track-and-field training) and 1 day of 45 min of nutrition education modules based on the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change followed by 45 min of group physical activity. Ninety-two percent of the participants are African American and 60% are overweight or obese (>85th percentile BMI for age and gender). The findings indicate that the TSYAI intervention significantly improves the participant's cardiovascular fitness, body composition, and dietary habits.
authors.affiliation: University of Louisville, USA. RVTOPP01@Louisville.edu
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Topp
authors.forename: Dean E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Jacks
authors.forename: Rita Thomas
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Wedig
authors.forename: Jamie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tobe
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hollingsworth
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy*; D016730:Program Development; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior