Effects of Obesity and Physical Fitness on Academic performance in Hispanic High School Students

Adolescents experience many changes in body structure and psyco-social functioning. Perceived obesity status and lower physical fitness are negatively associated with academic performance and the impact of these variables in academic performance may be different in males and females. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether levels of obesity and physical fitness have an influence on academic performance in Hispanic male and female adolescents. METHODS: Body mass index (BMI), one-mile run and curl-up scores from 1,401 Hispanic adolescents in grades 9-11 were collected (746 males, 655 females). Students were classified into three groups for BMI score using CDC weight status cut point (normal, overweight, and obese) and three groups for aerobic fitness (one mile run) and muscular strength (curl-up) using FITNESSGRAM standards (ES: exceed standard, MS: meet standard, and US: under standard). Reading and Mathematics scores in Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test were obtained from a South Texas school district. Variables were analyzed using two way (gender×group) analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Tukey post hoc test. RESULTS: Obese male students showed lower scores in both Reading (31.6±1.7, Mean±SE vs. 36.6±0.6 and 36.9±1.1 for normal and overweight, P\u3c0.05) and Math (29.1±1.7 vs. 34.5±0.7 and 34.6±1.2, P\u3c0.05). However, there was no relation between the level of obesity and TAKS scores in female students. US males in curl-up (27.5±1.0) received significantly lower score in Math than NS and ES (32.7±0.9, 37.2±0.8, P\u3c. 0.01) and US females in curl-up showed lower scores in both Reading (34.0±0.9 vs. 41.1±0.8 and 41.7±0.8, P\u3c0.01) and Math (29.1±0.9 vs. 35.5±0.9 and 36.9±1.0, P\u3c0.01). TAKS scores were not affected by levels of aerobic fitness (one-mile run). CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that academic achievement in Hispanic high school students is associated with level of muscular strength, but not affected by aerobic fitness. Gender difference is visible in the relation between obesity levels and academic achievement in Hispanic adolescents. Academic success in male students is more sensitively affected by level of obesity (body shape) than females

Academic and Research Programs in Exercise Science, South Korea

We appreciate the opportunity to review academic curriculum and current research focus of Exercise Science programs in South Korea. The information of this paper was collected by several different methods, including e-mail and phone interviews, and a discussion with Korean professors who attended the 2009 ACSM annual conference. It was agreed that exercise science programming in South Korea has improved over the last 60 years since being implemented. One of distinguishable achievement is that exercise science programs after the 1980’s has been expanded to several different directions. It does not only produce physical education teachers but also attributes more to research, sports medicine, sports, leisure and recreation. Therefore, it has produced various jobs in exercise-related fields. Some of exercise science departments do not require teacher preparation course work in their curriculum which allows students to focus more on their specialty. Secondly, we believe we South Korea has caught up with advanced countries in terms of research quality. Many Korean researchers have recently published and presented their investigations in international journals and conferences. The quality and quantity of these studies introduced to international societies indicate that Exercise Science programs in South Korea is continuing to develop and plays an important part in the world

Effects Of Telephone Intervention On Maintaining Fat Loss And Physical Fitness Following Summer Intervention Program

It is known that children gain most of extra weight and lose physical fitness during summer months due to physical inactivity and an increase in food intake. Summer intervention may reduce the prevalence of obesity in children; however reduction in body fat may be regained after finishing summer intervention. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 8 week summer lifestyle intervention and 10 month follow-up telephone intervention on changes in body composition and level of physical fitness in Hispanic Children. METHODS: 21 overweight or obese students (over 85 percentile in BMI score) aged 9-16 yrs completed 8 week summer intervention including 15 hour physical activity and 2 hour nutritional education per week and bi-weekly diet program. Students were later randomly assigned to follow-up telephone intervention for 10 months (TI) and control (CON). Physical characteristics, sit and reach (flexibility), grip strength (muscular strength), and 1mile walking (estimated VO2max) were obtained before, a week after (POST) and 10 months following 8 week summer intervention (YEAR). RESULTS: We previously reported (Med Sci Sports Exerc 43(5): S624, 2011) that eight week summer lifestyle intervention significantly reduced % body fat and improved flexibility, muscular strength, and estimated VO2max in 21 students. TI statistically maintained % body fat (POST:23.7±2.1%→ YEAR:25.9±2.3, Mean±SE, P=.134), flexibility (31.9±1.4cm→30.4±1.8, P=0.43), and estimated VO2max (44.1±1.66ml·kg-1·min-1→42.7±1.4, P=.215) during 10 month telephone intervention period. CON lost all improvement during 10 month follow-up period: %body fat (22.2±2.0%→ 26.9±1.8, P=.001), flexibility (32.7±1.7→27.3±1.2, P=.03), and estimated VO2max (45.9±1.8→39.8±2.0, P=.005). Muscular strength was slightly increased in both TI and CON, but it was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: 8 week summer lifestyle intervention improved body composition and level of physical fitness in Hispanic children. Results indicate that telephone intervention is an effective tool to maintain the improvement in body composition and levels of fitness obtained from an intensive summer lifestyle intervention program

Exercise-Induced Lymphocyte Apoptosis and Relationship with Level of Lactate in Smokers and Non-Smokers

Purposes of this study were 1) to examine the exercise intensity where lymphocyte apoptosis index (AI) is significantly increased in smokers and non-smokers, 2) to find out whether AI is associated with level of lactate (L). METHODS: Fourteen healthy untrained smokers (≥ 1 pack year, n=7) and non-smokers (n=7) aged 18 to 26 were recruited. Each subject conducted three treadmill runs at different intensities randomly. Running distance for all three runs was equivalent to 30 minute run at 70% VO2max. AI and L were analyzed at rest (Pre), immediately after (Post), and 1 h following (1 h post) each run. Data was analyzed using two way repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Smokers showed higher AI than non-smokers at Post in 60% (12.5±0.62% vs. 9.97±0.51, p\u3c.008) and 70% VO2max running trials (17.53±0.57% vs. 15.6±0.41, p\u3c.018). All L values at post showed significantly higher than Pre and 1 h post, but there was no significant difference between smokers and non-smokers. The strong positive relationship between AI and L was detected (r=.739, smokers vs. r=.793, non-smokers). CONCLUSION: Smokers tend to have higher AI than non-smokers following runs at 60% and 70% VO2max, but not following a run at 80% VO2max. An increase in AI following a run at 60% VO2max indicates that lymphocyte apoptosis can be increased following moderate intensity exercise. Since L and AI at post were increased in dose-dependent manner to exercise intensity, it is suggested that an increase in lactate production during exercise might contribute to the increase in lymphocyte apoptosis

Photothermal Polymer Nanocomposites of Tungsten Bronze Nanorods with Enhanced Tensile Elongation at Low Filler Contents

We present polymer nanocomposites of tungsten bronze nanorods (TBNRs) and ethylene propylene diene monomers (EPDM). The combination of these components allows the simultaneous enhancement in the mechanical and photothermal properties of the composites at low filler contents. The as-synthesized TBNRs had lengths and diameters of 14.0 +/- 2.4 nm and 2.5 +/- 0.5 nm, respectively, and were capped with oleylamine, which has a chemical structure similar to EPDM, making the TBNRs compatible with the bulk EPDM matrix. The TBNRs absorb a wide range of near-infrared light because of the sub-band transitions induced by alkali metal doping. Thus, the nanocomposites of TBNRs in EPDM showed enhanced photothermal properties owing to the light absorption and subsequent heat emission by the TBNRs. Noticeably, the nanocomposite with only 3 wt% TBNRs presented significantly enhanced tensile strain at break, in comparison with those of pristine EPDM, nanocomposites with 1 and 2 wt % TBNRs, and those with tungsten bronze nanoparticles, because of the alignment of the nanorods during tensile elongation. The photothermal and mechanical properties of these nanocomposites make them promising materials for various applications such as in fibers, foams, clothes with cold weather resistance, patches or mask-like films for efficient transdermal delivery upon heat generation, and photoresponsive surfaces for droplet transport by the thermocapillary effect in microfluidic devices and microengines

The effects of pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain on perinatal outcomes in Korean women: a retrospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain on perinatal outcomes in a population of Korean women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 2,454 women who had received antenatal care at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital from January 2007 to December 2009. We used World Health Organization definitions for Asian populations of underweight (BMI < 18.5), normal (BMI equal or higher 18.5 and < 23), overweight (BMI equal or higher 23 and < 25), and obese (BMI equal or higher 25). We analyzed perinatal outcomes according to the pre-pregnancy BMI and weight gain during pregnancy, and calculated the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from multiple logistic regression models by considering maternal age, parity, number of fetuses, length of gestation, and medical history.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among obese women, the adjusted ORs for gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorder, and incompetent internal os of cervix were 4.46, 2.53, and 3.70 (95% CI = 2.63-7.59, 1.26-5.07, and 1.50-9.12), respectively, and the adjusted ORs for neonatal complications such as macrosomia and low Apgar score were 2.08 and 1.98 (95% CI = 1.34-3.22 and 1.19-3.29), respectively, compared with normal weight women. However, there was no positive linear association between gestational weight gain and obstetric outcomes. In normal weight women, maternal and neonatal complications were significantly increased with inadequate weight gain during pregnancy (p < 0.0001 and = 0.0180, respectively), and we observed similar results in underweight women (p = 0.0136 and 0.0004, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study shows that pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity are more closely related to the adverse obstetric outcomes than excess weight gain during pregnancy. In addition, inadequate weight gain during pregnancy can result in significant complications.</p