Kentucky State University
Behaviors Related to Body Weight Status of Children Participating in the National Youth Sports Program
Institution
Kentucky State University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Changzheng Wang; Lingyu Huang; Jo Sloan; William Graham, Jr.
Abstract
National Youth Sports Program provides opportunities for children from low-income families to participate in sports activities in the summer. The objective of the study was to study the critical knowledge, attitude and behaviors related to the body weight status of children participating in the National Youth Sports Program. A survey questionnaire was filled out by the children after they were examined for their blood pressure, body weight, and height. Their body fat percent was measured with a Tanita TBF-521 body composition analyzer. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from the body weight in kg divided by the square of body height in meters. Majority of the children had positive view of milk, vegetables, fruits and physical activities, but 25% of the children consumed one cup or less of milk per day, 31% of them consumed one or fewer servings of vegetables, 30% of them consumed one or fewer servings of fruits and 16% of them had one hour or less of activities. A majority of the children had positive views of soft drinks and TV watching. Over 80% of the students had 2 or more soft drinks and watched TV for two or more hours per day. It appears that the low consumption of milk, vegetables and fruits, high intake of soft drinks and lengthy periods of TV watching may help to explain the relatively high incidence of overweight among these children. Preventive programs are needed to modify their attitudes about the adverse effects of soft drinks and TV watching, in addition to their access to sports activities.
Behaviors Related to Body Weight Status of Children Participating in the National Youth Sports Program
National Youth Sports Program provides opportunities for children from low-income families to participate in sports activities in the summer. The objective of the study was to study the critical knowledge, attitude and behaviors related to the body weight status of children participating in the National Youth Sports Program. A survey questionnaire was filled out by the children after they were examined for their blood pressure, body weight, and height. Their body fat percent was measured with a Tanita TBF-521 body composition analyzer. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from the body weight in kg divided by the square of body height in meters. Majority of the children had positive view of milk, vegetables, fruits and physical activities, but 25% of the children consumed one cup or less of milk per day, 31% of them consumed one or fewer servings of vegetables, 30% of them consumed one or fewer servings of fruits and 16% of them had one hour or less of activities. A majority of the children had positive views of soft drinks and TV watching. Over 80% of the students had 2 or more soft drinks and watched TV for two or more hours per day. It appears that the low consumption of milk, vegetables and fruits, high intake of soft drinks and lengthy periods of TV watching may help to explain the relatively high incidence of overweight among these children. Preventive programs are needed to modify their attitudes about the adverse effects of soft drinks and TV watching, in addition to their access to sports activities.