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Objectives: To explore school and student characteristics associated with the number of physical education (PE) classes that elementary students received and to determine whether these characteristics and amount of PE were associated with the physical activity (PA) levels of elementary students., Methods: Multi-level modeling with school-level (n = 30) and student-level (n = 2,447) questionnaire data from the PLAY-ON study was used to explore the school factors associated with the number of PE classes that students in grades 5 to 8 report receiving, and how these factors were associated with their PA. The Theories of Organizational Change served to operationalize the main school factors measured in this study and included assessments of: organizational climate (school practices related to PE or PA), organizational capacity (school ability to provide students with more PE or PA), and school PA/PE policies., Results: The number of PE classes reported per week was higher in schools that had two PA facilities in addition to a gymnasium (β = 1.13, p = 0.048) and in schools with greater levels of parental involvement in school-based PA decisions and programs (β = 2.06, p = 0.001). However, students in schools that provided more intramural programs reported fewer PE classes than those without (β = -1.97, p < 0.001). The number of PE classes provided in the previous week was associated with greater odds of students being highly active compared to minimally active (OR = 1.14, p = 0.003)., Conclusion: Organizational and structural factors within the school environment are related to the amount of PE that students receive at school. Strategies are required to resolve the resulting inequities.

Rates of childhood obesity are increasing at alarming rates worldwide. This is especially alarming as obesity is associated with many physical and psychological consequences. A great number of studies indicate that obese children have an impaired psychological well-being (e.g., depression, self-esteem, and quality of life) compared to their non-overweight peers. There has been an overwhelming amount of research conducted in this area over the past few decades, and as such, this paper provides a summarized overview of the vast trove of available information on the psychosocial aspects of childhood obesity. In this paper we provide a summarized overview of: 1) psychosocial aspects that contribute to the onset of childhood obesity; 2) psychosocial consequences of childhood obesity; and 3) familial-based lifestyle behavior modification interventions for treating childhood obesity and its treatment success. Although it seems obvious that obese children and adolescents would likely be at higher risk for psychological problems, the mediating factors in the relationship between psychological problems and obesity are still not well established. Obesity is a complex disorder with an equally complex etiology, and is thus associated with complex behaviors and outcomes that make it difficult to study in children. It has been indicated that family-based lifestyle interventions can improve psychological well-being in obese children; however, not all children profit from these interventions. Interventions aimed at improving treatment results need further investigation. For example, interventions targeted specifically at groups that tend to be less successful in weight-loss programs and interventions providing long-term support to these individuals are recommended.