Body esteem, peer difficulties and perceptions of physical health in overweight and obese urban children aged 5 to 7 years.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is an association between body mass index (BMI) and body esteem in young overweight and obese urban children, and to test peer relationship difficulties and perceived physical health as mediators of this relationship. METHODS: Child self-reported body esteem, and parent-reported child peer relationship difficulties (being bullied by peers and peer rejection) and physical health perceptions were obtained from 218 overweight and obese children aged 5-7 years (81% racial/ethnic minority, M BMI = 25.3) and their primary caregivers. RESULTS: Higher BMI was associated with lower body esteem for both girls and boys. This relation was mediated by poor physical health for boys but not for girls. Peer relationship difficulties did not mediate the observed association between BMI and body esteem in either group; however, girls with higher BMI experienced more bullying and being bullied by peers was associated with lower body esteem in girls. CONCLUSIONS: Intervening with perceptions of physical health may buffer overweight and obese boys from developing low body esteem in early childhood.

The transfer of skill from short tennis to lawn tennis.

The purpose of this study was to establish if short tennis skills transferred to lawn tennis. The experiment was conducted in two parts. In the first experiment 16 children (average age 8.9 years) were coached for 20 h (2 h/day for 2 weeks). The experimental group (n = 8) received 10 h of short tennis coaching followed by 10h of tennis coaching. The control group (n = 8) received tennis coaching only. In the second experiment 14 children (average age 8.5 years) were coached for 8h in group strokes alone (only ground strokes were tested and analysed). The experimental group (n = 7) received 4h of short tennis coaching and 4h of tennis coaching; the control group (n = 7) received tennis coaching only. Prior to coaching, all children were tested on the Dyer Backboard Test. The tests were video-taped for later analysis of technique. The video was analysed by three coaches in terms of backswing, positioning (position where player stood in reference to the bounce of the ball), follow-through, and placement (accuracy with which the ball was hit). The experimental group improved more than the control group on the Dyer Backboard Test (p < 0.05) in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2 both groups improved (p < 0.05) with coaching; there was no difference (p > 0.05) between the two groups following coaching. This implied that the short tennis skills positively transferred to tennis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)