Today's children and adolescents are experiencing higher rates of overweightness/obesity and poorer health outcomes than any other time in history. As overweight or obese children are at greater risk of the same conditions in adulthood and the ensuing health consequences which arise, literature highlighting how theoretical frameworks can be utilized to guide physical activity intervention programs is advised and needed. Provision of contemporary research with the aforementioned objectives in mind is the reasoning behind the current book. By providing analyses and interpretation of children and adolescents' physical activity behaviors through the lens of well-established psychological and/or health promotion theories, this book provides empirically-based conclusions and implementation strategies for scholars and practitioners who desire the promotion of physical activity participation and better health outcomes among these populations. Within this book, readers can expect to find chapters devoted to the analyses of physical activity behavior among children and adolescent in free-living and physical education settings with an emphasis of how the manipulation of physical activity determinants, such as physical activity self-efficacy, enjoyment, situational interest and social support, influence physical activity participation. Other aspects of the book include a synthesis of how variables such as parent's beliefs regarding physical activity, perceived exertion, as well as the youth's gender and age affect the related physical activity determinants and the subsequent implementations of physical activity interventions. It is hoped that through the current book's structured formatting and writing quality, scholars and practitioners can better formulate real-world physical activity intervention programs which provide the best opportunity for the youth population to be more physically active and healthy.

As interest in the public health challenge of youth inactivity increases, the ambitious Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior sets a standard for addressing a problem with worldwide implications. Drawing on the contributions of a diverse group of international experts, this reference challenges professionals, researchers, and students to implement new solutions and further their research and work. No other text addresses the causes, contributing factors, and fundamental issues in dealing with youth physical activity with such depth or comprehensive coverage. Using a multidisciplinary approach, Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior breaks away from traditional thinking that places activity and sedentary behavior on a single continuum, which may limit progress in addressing youth inactivity. Instead, the authors encourage readers to focus on how sedentary and physically active behaviors coexist and consider how the two behaviors may have different determinants. In doing so, the text also considers developmental features such as maturation, ethnicity, environment, and genetics across both childhood (through age 12) and adolescence (the teen years). By looking at a variety of psychosocial and epidemiological factors, the authors set the stage for a critical analysis of beliefs and views at a time when many assumptions are taken for granted. This book is organized in three parts that build on one another to deepen readers’ understanding of this complex problem. This text begins by addressing the fundamental issues and assumptions pertaining to youth physical activity and sedentary behavior, covering such topics as measurement of the behavior in question, health outcomes, concepts, and trends in a public health context. Once readers have grasped this foundational knowledge, they advance to part II for a comprehensive account of personal factors likely to be associated with the problem. Part III moves beyond the individual into the wider social and contextual aspects of physically active and sedentary living in young people. Through this concluding part, readers gain the latest thinking on how parents, peers, schools, organized sport, and related factors link to youth physical activity and sedentary behavior. Each chapter presents the latest theory and research, real-world approaches to implementation, and background information to encourage discussion and future directions in national policy making. Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior also contains the following features that add to an unprecedented learning experience: •An at-a-glance look at why and how research can be used in the real world helps researchers relate their work to overall solutions. •Coverage of more issues related to this subject than are available in any other reference makes this a one-stop resource. •Internationally respected foreword writer, editors, and contributors provide a cross-disciplinary perspective valuable for putting solutions into a wider context. •Applications for Professionals boxes and Applications for Researchers boxes at the end of each chapter provide practical suggestions for implementing solutions. Youth Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: Challenges and Solutions considers current research about youth physical activity and sedentary behavior across a range of personal factors as well as cultural and social influences. The text communicates the knowledge base on developmental, economic, psychological, and social factors related to youth physical activity and sedentary behavior and provides an overview of youth-specific approaches to addressing the problem of inactivity among youth.

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

This text examines trends in physical activity, aerobic fitness in teenagers and older adults, the role of physical activity in weight loss, new technology, marketing techniques and perspectives on behaviour intervention strategies in exercise programming and views on habitual exercise.

In recent years, diet- and lifestyle-related disorders have become a major health threat in Europe and worldwide. The contributions in this monograph include 2 review articles and 19 original contributions from several countries that provide new information on the existing research elucidating important aspects of children’s and adolescents’ nutrition and lifestyle behavior. The data included in this Special Issue are from large epidemiological studies, including several multicenter and multinational studies, as well as datasets from surveillance initiatives. The topics of interest of this Special Issue include the co-occurrence of multiple health behaviors in children, the role of parenting and early feeding practices, dairy consumption in childhood, validity of dietary intake data, dietary supplement use in children, as well as socioeconomic disparities and eating culture. The diverse articles in this Special Issue highlight the complexity and extent to which nutrition and physical activity behaviors may influence different health aspects of children and adolescents. As seen by the various findings and recommendations, not only is more work in this area required but the translation of this work to practice and policy is imperative if we are to address the challenges impacting the nutrition, physical activity, and health of young populations.