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Background: The effects of increases in physical activity (PA) on early literacy skills in preschool children are not known. Methods: Fifty-four African-American preschool children from a low socioeconomic urban Head Start participated over 8 months. A 2-group, quasi-experimental design was used with one preschool site participating in the PA intervention and a second site participating as the control site. The PA program was designed to promote 300 minutes/week of moderate to vigorous PA academic lessons. Academic achievement related to early literacy and phonological awareness in the areas of rhyming and alliteration were assessed at baseline, 4 and 8 months. Results: Over 8 months, rhyming significantly (p < 0.01) improved in the PA group (173 ± 12%) compared with the controls (28 ± 8%) resulting in between group differences at 8 months (p < 0.01). Alliteration significantly (p < 0.01) improved in the PA group (52 ± 16%) compared with controls (13 ± 5%), resulting in between group differences at 8 months (p < 0.01). As minutes of exposure to moderate to vigorous PA increased, the change in picture naming (R[superscript 2] = 0.35, p < 0.05), alliteration (R[superscript 2] = 0.38, p < 0.05), and rhyming (R[superscript 2] = 0.42, p < 0.05), increased. Conclusion: A teacher-directed PA program is effective at increasing PA and improving early literacy.

The potential impact of increased physical activity on early literacy skills in preschool children has not been sufficiently explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 6 month, low cost, teacher-directed, academic program that delivered existing literacy lessons using physical activity in Head Start preschools. Preschool Literacy Individual Growth and Development Indicators were used to assess early literacy and phonological awareness in the areas of alliteration and picture naming. The results showed significant increases in physical activity during free play and improvements in early literacy (Picture Naming, Alliteration) compared to a non-exercising control group. In conclusion, the findings suggest that academic lessons taught using physical activity improve early literacy in preschoolers.

To determine the effects of a 6-month supervised low-volume resistance training (RT) program (1 set, 85-90%, one repetition maximum, 1RM, 3 d*[wk.sup.-1]) on muscular strength (1RM) and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) in previously sedentary, overweight men on an ad libitum diet. Nineteen men were randomly assigned to a control (CON, n = 8) or RT (n = 11) group. The exercise protocol consisted of 5 upper- and 4 lower-body exercises using weight machines. CON maintained their sedentary lifestyle. One RM for upper body (chest press [CP] + lat pull-down [LPD]) and lower body (leg press [LP]) and SMM were assessed at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months. Adherence was 96 [+ or -] 2% with an average time to complete each exercise session of 15 [+ or -] 2 minutes. Volume completed per exercise session significantly increased from baseline (2,812 [+ or -] 670 kg) to 6 months (6,411 [+ or -] 2,128 kg). There was a group by time interaction in 1RM for CP, LPD, and LP. Upper-body strength increased significantly (p < 0.001) (31.3 [+ or -] 9.3%) from baseline to 3 months and from 3 to 6 months (17.9 [+ or -] 8.7%). Lower-body strength also increased significantly from baseline to 3 months (17.8 [+ or -] 16.6%) and from 3 to 6 months (32.0 [+ or -] 33.7%). No changes in upper- or lower-body strength occurred in the CON group. There was no group by time interaction for SMM (CON, 34.5 [+ or -] 2.9 kg vs. RT, 34.2 [+ or -] 2.9 kg; p > 0.05) or for energy intake (p > 0.05). In conclusion, a single set resistance training program at 85% of 1RM, 3 d*[wk.sup-1] resulted in continued increases in muscular strength and a very high adherence rate over a 6-month period in sedentary, overweight men independent of significant changes in SMM. This training protocol may increase adherence and produce long-term increases in muscular fitness as part of an adult fitness program. KEY WORDS. strength training, obesity, exercise

Abstract Background To adequately assess individual studies and synthesize quantitative research on weight loss studies, transparent reporting of data is required. The authors examined the reporting quality of randomized trials in the weight loss literature, focusing exclusively on subject characteristics as they relate to enrollment, allocation, and follow-up. Methods An extensive literature review, which included a computerized search of the MEDLINE database, manual searches of bibliographic references, and cross-referencing of 92 review articles was conducted. A checklist, based on CONSORT recommendations, was used to collect information on whether or not authors reported age, gender, co-morbid disease, medication use, race/ethnicity, and postmenopausal status. Also tracked was whether or not initial and final sample size was reported and stratified by gender. Results Of 604 possible articles, 231 articles met eligibility criteria. Important subject characteristics were not reported as the following breakdown indicates: age (11%), gender (4%), race/ethnicity (86%), co-morbid disease states (34%), and medication use (92%). Additionally, 21% of articles failed to report initial sample size by gender while 69% neglected to report final sample size by gender. Conclusion Inadequate reporting can create difficulties with interpretation and can lead to biased results receiving false credibility. The quality of reporting for weight loss studies needs considerable improvement.

Purpose: To determine whether 16 months of moderate-intensity exercise training changes resting metabolic rate (RMR) and substrate oxidation in overweight young adults. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to nonexercise control (CON, 18 women, 15 men) or exercise (EX, 25 women, 16 men) groups. EX performed supervised and verified exercise 3-5 d/wk, 20-45 min/session, at 60-75% of heart-rate reserve. Body mass and composition, maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), RMR, and resting substrate oxidation were assessed at baseline and after 9 and 16 months of training. Results: EX men had significant decreases from baseline to 9 months in body mass (94.6 ± 12.4 to 89.2 ± 9.5 kg) and percent fat (28.3 ± 4.6 to 24.5 ± 3.9). CON women had significant increases in body mass (80.2 ± 8.1 to 83.2 ± 9.2 kg) from baseline to 16 months. VO2max increased significantly from baseline to 9 months in the EX men (3.67 ± 0.62 to 4.34 ± 0.58 L/min) and EX women (2.53 ± 0.32 to 3.03 ± 0.42 L/min). RMR increased from baseline to 9 months in EX women (1,583 ± 221 to 1,692 ± 230 kcal/d) and EX men (1,995 ± 184 to 2,025 ± 209 kcal/d). There were no significant differences within genders for either EX or CON in fat or carbohydrate oxidation. Fat oxidation was significantly higher for women than for men at 9 months in both CON and EX groups. Conclusions: Regular moderate-intensity exercise in healthy, previously sedentary overweight and obese adults increases RMR but does not alter resting substrate oxidation. Women tend to have higher RMR and greater fat oxidation, when expressed per kilogram fat-free mass, than men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]