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Objective: To assess different aspects of physical fitness and physical activity in obese and nonobese Flemish youth., Research Methods and Procedures: A random sample of 3214 Flemish schoolchildren was selected and divided into an "obese" and "nonobese" group based on body mass index and sum of skinfolds. Physical fitness was assessed by the European physical fitness test battery. Physical activity was estimated by a modified version of the Baecke Questionnaire., Results: Obese subjects had inferior performances on all tests requiring propulsion or lifting of the body mass (standing-broad jump, sit-ups, bent-arm hang, speed shuttle run, and endurance shuttle run) compared with their nonobese counterparts (p < 0.001). In contrast, the obese subjects showed greater strength on handgrip (p < 0.001). Both groups had similar levels of leisure-time physical activity; however, nonobese boys had a higher sport index than their obese counterparts (p < 0.05)., Discussion: Results of this study show that obese subjects had poorer performances on weight-bearing tasks, but did not have lower scores on all fitness components. To encourage adherence to physical activity in obese youth, it is important that activities are tailored to their capabilities. Results suggest that weight-bearing activities should be limited at the start of an intervention with obese participants and alternative activities that rely more on static strength used.

Background: Physical activity in adolescence has been reported to enhance physical activity in adulthood, but detailed information on the enhancing effect of different types of adolescent sports is lacking. We evaluated the association between participation in different types of adolescent sports and physical activity in adulthood., Methods: The sample comprised 7794 males and females who responded to the mailed questions on physical activity status at age 14 years and at age 31 years in follow-up surveys of the Northern Finland 1966 birth cohort. The associations between adolescent participation in different sports and adult physical activity was examined by multinomial logistic regression., Results: Frequent participation in sports after school hours in adolescence was associated with a high level of physical activity in adulthood. In males, adolescent participation in ball games, intensive endurance sports, track and field, and combat sports was associated with a high or very high level of adult activity. In females, the same applied to adolescent participation in running, orienteering, track and field, cycling, gymnastics, and riding. Adolescent participation in ball games increased participation in ball games in adulthood, especially in males, while participation in cross-country skiing, running, and orienteering provided the greatest stimulation to carry over of some endurance sport to adulthood., Conclusions: Participation in sports at least once a week among females and twice a week among males was associated with high level of physical activity in later life. Adolescent participation in the intensive endurance sports, and some sports that require and encourage diversified sports skills, appeared to be most beneficial with respect to the enhancement of adult physical activity.

Objective: To explore the relationship between self-reported weight and height to actual weight and height in older Australian adolescents., Method: Weights and heights of 572 adolescents aged 15-19 years who participated in the 1995 Australian National Health Survey (NHS) and National Nutrition Survey (NNS) were examined., Results: Self-reported heights were significantly higher than measured heights in participants. There were no differences in the accuracy of self-reported heights among the adolescents by gender. Self-reported weights were significantly lower than measured weights among both boys and girls (p < 0.01). There were no differences in the accuracy of self-reported weights among the boys and girls. Differences between actual weight and self-reported weight were significantly greater for overweight or obese adolescents compared with normal/underweight adolescents (p < 0.01). The use of self-reported weight and height resulted in the correct classification of overweight or obesity in 69% boys and 70% of girls., Conclusions: There was no significant gender difference in reporting weight and height in older adolescents. Bias in reporting weight and height was much higher in overweight or obese adolescents than normal/underweight adolescents., Implications: The percentage of misclassification of overweight or obesity from self-reported data in this study was 31% for boys and 30% for girls, respectively. Therefore, the self-reported weight and height of older adolescents needs to be more cautiously utilised. Efforts to improve the accuracy of self-reporting in older adolescents are needed if this measure is to be reliable.

Purpose: This paper is a literature review, the purpose of which was to examine the legislative framework and the Australian Government Information Policy and how this has impacted on virtual communication and the well-being of Australians with disabilities., Method: This has been a systematic review of current Australian literature that considers especially how communication and information can contribute positively towards connecting people with disabilities with other people during and post-rehabilitation., Results: The results of this systematic literature review has been encouraging in that Australians with disabilities are being taken account of in the planning processes and evaluation of communications technologies., Conclusion: The paper also deals with how these interactive telecommunications may play an important role by assisting persons with disabilities in dealing with the loss of a sense of control over one's destiny, which is often prevalent during the acute phase of injury in persons with disabilities.

Obesity is a significant health problem and the incidence of the condition is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. Despite significant advances in the knowledge and understanding of the multifactorial nature of the condition, many questions regarding the specific consequences of the disease remain unanswered. For example, there is a dearth of information pertaining to the structural and functional limitations imposed by overweight and obesity. A limited number of studies to date have considered plantar pressures under the feet of obese vs. non-obese, the influence of foot structure on performance, gait characteristics of obese children and adults, and relationships between obesity and osteoarthritis. A better appreciation of the implications of increased levels of body weight and/or body fat on movement capabilities of the obese would provide an enhanced opportunity to offer more meaningful support in the prevention, treatment and management of the condition.

This study is a secondary data analysis based on the 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey (NNS). A random subsample of 1581 school children aged 7-15 years old from the NNS was studied. The results show the prevalence of overweight, obesity and combined overweight and obesity was 10.6-20.9%, 3.7-7.2% and 15.6-25.7%, respectively. The odds ratio of overweight or obese boys with highest household income was significantly smaller than those with the lowest household income. The proportion of combined overweight and obesity in children whose parents were overweight or obese was significantly greater compared with those whose parents were not. The trend of increasing prevalence of overweight or obesity among children with increasing parental body mass index (BMI) was significant after adjusting for age except the trend of father's BMI for boys. This study provided baseline data on the recent prevalence of overweight or obesity of Australian school children using new international absolute BMI cut-off points. It indicated that young school girls (7-9 years) were more likely to be overweight or obese compared with boys, the prevalence rates of overweight or obesity in older boys (13-15 year) was significantly greater than in other age groups while in girls it was the opposite. The boys with lowest household income ($0-17 500) were more likely to be overweight or obese compared with those with the highest household income (greater than $67 500). Having parents especially mothers who were overweight or obese may increase the risk of children being overweight or obese.

The debate surrounding the level of intensity of exercise that is best for health improvement has potentially clouded the issue of optimal exercise prescription for weight management. Low-intensity activity is potentially superior to moderate to high intensity for improving metabolic risk factors, and accumulated small bouts of physical activity are as effective to this end as single longer bouts, as long as the overall volume of energy expenditure is equivalent. What should not be forgotten however, is that for weight-loss it is the total volume of energy expended that will dictate the size of the energy deficit imposed, not the composition of the exercise per se. Exercise prescription for weight management is a conundrum. Whilst it is the total volume of energy expended that will dictate the magnitude of weight lost, not the composition of the exercise per se, it is the nature of the exercise prescription that will dictate the long-term success of an exercise programme. It is how well the exercise prescription is individualized that influences tolerance of and interest in the programme and, thus, the adherence to it in the long term.

Objective: The prevalence of excess body weight has been reported as two to four times greater in the chronic mentally ill than in the general population. However, there has been a paucity of body composition research with this population. The purpose of this study was to compare with population data the prevalence and distribution of body fat in a group of chronic mentally ill individuals., Method: An anthropometric profile consisting of height, weight, waist and hip girths was completed on 29 males and 23 females., Results: Consistent with other groups with excess adiposity, measures of skinfold thickness were generally unreliable. The biceps was the only site where a reliable skinfold measure was possible in all subjects. More than half of the males and three-quarters of the females had a waist circumference in excess of 100 cm., Conclusions: There were significantly higher levels of relative body weight and excess abdominal adiposity in the study group compared with the wider population. A brief anthropometric protocol of waist and hip girths and biceps skinfold in addition to height and weight, rather than the use of weight alone as an indicator of adiposity, is recommended.

Numerous approaches have been used to improve the science and art of exercise prescription, and particular challenges exist in the prescription of exercise intensity. Traditionally, work in the area has been the province of exercise physiologists interested in the improvement of training programmes for athletes, as opposed to the more widespread recent interest in health-related fitness and physical activity for all. The generalized approach to the provision of guidelines for exercise prescription has meant that individuals have, at best, prediction equations which provide a wide band of heart rate between which they can work to derive health benefits. This paper explores some of the commonly employed submaximal markers of exercise intensity and proposes a number of approaches for improvements beyond generalized equations.

The technical reliability (i.e., interinstrument and interoperator reliability) of three SEAC-swept frequency bioimpedance monitors was assessed for both errors of measurement and associated analyses. In addition, intraoperator and intrainstrument variability was evaluated for repeat measures over a 4-hour period. The measured impedance values from a range of resistance-capacitance circuits were accurate to within 3% of theoretical values over a range of 50-800 ohms. Similarly, phase was measured over the range 1°-19° with a maximum deviation of 1.3° from the theoretical value. The extrapolated impedance at zero frequency was equally well determined (±3%). However, the accuracy of the extrapolated value at infinite frequency was decreased, particularly at impedances below 50 ohms (approaching the lower limit of the measurement range of the instrument). The interinstrument/operator variation for whole body measurements were recorded on human volunteers with biases of less than ±1% for measured impedance values and less than 3% for phase. The variation in the extrapolated values of impedance at zero and infinite frequencies included variations due to operator choice of the analysis parameters but was still less than ±0.5%. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 9:63-72 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc., (Copyright © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

For many people, there is a discrepancy between perceived and desired physical appearance. Attempts have been made to quantify this discrepancy as a measure of body-image disturbance: however, the use of measurement scales which are not population-specific may bias the assessment. To investigate whether ratings of body-images were affected by the scale employed, 57 male and 40 female adolescents were tested using both adult and adolescent body-figure silhouette scales. Significant between-scale differences were found, with adolescents displaying consistently lower body-image ratings when viewing adult as opposed to adolescent scales. In addition, between-sex differences in discrepancy scores and correlations between discrepancy scores and another measure of body satisfaction were significantly influenced by the scale employed. The results confirm the need for population-specific measurement scales and the implementation of standardised assessment procedures.

The electromyographic activity of six lower extremity muscles during three speeds of walking was examined in fourteen (14) (10 obese and 4 normal weight) pre-pubertal children aged 8.5-10.5 years. Ensemble average EMG patterns of six lower extremity muscles at three speeds of walking were compared in obese pre-pubertal and normal weight children. The pattern of EMG activity and phasic characteristics did not change appreciably across the three speeds of walking for either group. The lack of significant change in EMG amplitude with altered speed of walking was contrary to the results of previous studies. Studies involving different weight groups and analyses that involve walking over greater distances are required to provide an alternative data base to normal weight children.

The gait patterns of 10 obese and four normal-weight, prepubertal children were used to evaluate characteristics of varying weight groups. Analyses of temporal and distance parameters were conducted on representative gait cycles at slow, normal and fast speeds of walking. Obese subjects showed longer cycle duration (P less than 0.001), lower cadence (P less than 0.001), lower relative velocity (statures/sec) (P less than 0.001) and a longer stance period (P less than 0.001) than normal-weight subjects. Differences were also found in gait symmetry measures, with the obese displaying asymmetry in step length and step factor. In all cases, the right limb was favoured. Obese subjects displayed greatest instability at the slow speed of walking.

The gait patterns of ten obese and ten normal-weight, prepubertal children were evaluated to provide objective data for a weight status comparison. Temporal and kinematic analyses were conducted on representative gait cycles at three speeds of walking: slow, normal, and fast. Subjects were filmed by two phase locked cameras, one each in the sagittal and frontal planes, operating at a speed of 50 frames per second while the subjects traversed a 10-m walkway in one direction. Obese subjects displayed longer cycle duration (p less than .001), lower cadence (p less than .001), lower relative velocity (statures/sec, p less than .001), and longer stance period (sec, p less than .001) than normal-weight subjects at all speeds. Other temporal differences included gait asymmetry and greater stride width for the obese, all pointing to a slower, more tentative normal speed and problems encountered when walking at speeds other than normal. Greatest instability was evidenced at the slow speed of walking. Joint angle displacement data showed a largely invariant pattern among speeds for most joints studied and similar patterns for both study groups. Normal-weight subjects displayed more consistent patterns of rotation at all joints and speeds, and for the hip and knee joints, there was greater total excursion that favored increased flexion. Obese subjects displayed a more flat-footed weight acceptance period in early stance and a greater external rotation (out-toeing) of the foot at all phases of the gait cycle.

To assess the effects of exercise and diet on obese prepubertal children, a group of subjects embarked upon a 16-week exercise programme designed to improve body composition parameters and physical fitness. This was complemented by dietary counselling and nutrition education. Subjects comprising the experimental group (n = 10) on average lost body weight, reduced the sum of four skinfold measures (P less than 0.001) and in addition, noticed a reduction in body circumference measures whilst preserving or increasing lean body mass. In contrast, there was an increase in all measures for the control group (n = 10). The present study highlights the effectiveness of an exercise programme initiated as a function of an obesity clinic in association with a home programme. An interrelated approach to weight control in obese children should include exercise, diet and behaviour modification with appropriate guidance and follow-up.