Safe and Effective Exercise for Overweight Youth

Based on decades of scientific research and clinical experience, Safe and Effective Exercise for Overweight Youth provides a scientifically supported and clinically relevant source of information that clinical health care providers, educators, public health, and fitness professionals may use to promote physical activity in overweight and obese youth of all ages, including those with significant obesity and chronic health conditions, such as hypertension, asthma, and type 2 diabetes. It presents a best practices model for implementing clinical- and recreational-based physical activity interventions.

The first five chapters offer an overview of the existing scientific literature supporting individualized, tailored exercise prescriptions for overweight and obese children with and without comorbidities. They also contain exercise instructions, illustrations, and sample lesson plans to improve cardiopulmonary endurance, muscular strength, power and endurance, and muscular flexibility. This information provides the basis for the recommendations provided in the subsequent chapters, which include specific guidelines for prescribing exercise to overweight children along with verbal cues or "talking points," clinical reminders, and handouts to assist health care providers.

The text provides a 40-week exercise curriculum with lesson plans, discusses the importance of regular medical and self-monitoring, and offers easy tools and techniques for health care providers to track a child’s progress. Chapters also supply detailed clinical and field protocols to aid in measuring health and fitness outcomes, describe realistic expectations, and present the U.S. recommendations for promoting physical activity and fitness in youth. The final chapter summarizes current studies to support future research on physical activity for the prevention and management of pediatric obesity.