title: Field assessments for obesity prevention in children and adults: physical activity, fitness, and body composition.
abstract: Nutrition and health educators work in community settings implementing lifestyle programs focused on obesity prevention and chronic disease risk reduction. These programs typically focus on improving diet and physical activity (PA) behaviors. Many nutrition educators may not be confident in their ability to select, administer, and interpret PA assessments to effectively evaluate their PA or lifestyle programs. This report will assist educators in identifying and selecting appropriate field-based assessments for measurement of PA, physical fitness, and body composition for children and adults. Specific guidelines, references, and resources are given for selecting assessment methods and test within these 3 areas.
authors.affiliation: University Nevada Cooperative Extension, Las Vegas, NV.
authors.forename: Anne R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
authors.forename: Nobuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hongu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, University of Nevada, Reno, NV.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spears
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC.
authors.forename: Rafida
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Idris
authors.affiliation: University Nevada Cooperative Extension, Las Vegas, NV.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dyrek
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition/Exercise Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. Electronic address: Melinda.manore@oregonstate.edu.
authors.forename: Melinda M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Manore
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior
keywords: body fat; community nutrition; exercise; physical activity assessment; waist circumference