Weight-Related Barriers for Overweight Students in an Elementary Physical Education Classroom: An Exploratory Case Study with One Physical Education Teacher.

INTRODUCTION: As physical performance may be more difficult for overweight children than for their non-overweight peers, understanding how weight impacts student performance in the physical education (P.E.) classroom could inform school-based obesity prevention programming. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative case study examined one elementary physical educator's perspectives of overweight students' weight-related experiences in her classroom. Narratives were elicited during an in-depth interview and analyzed using structural and thematic analyses. We utilized the social cognitive theory to inform our exploration of the narratives. FINDINGS: The thematic analysis illuminated a behavioral pattern of student refusal to participate in the P.E. classroom while the structural analysis emphasized the teacher's constructive, individualized responses to participation refusals. Combined, the two analytic techniques provided a more holistic snapshot of the experiences of overweight students in this elementary school. In addition, a preliminary model explaining the behavioral pattern among overweight students in this particular P.E. classroom was created. DISCUSSION: Students who were overweight were more likely to initially refuse to attempt physical tasks in the classroom because they feared peer ridicule, and the teacher played a critical role in whether these students chose to participate in subsequent classes. As agents of change, P.E. educators should be included in formative stages of comprehensive, systemic changes to combat childhood obesity.

Food-shopping environment disparities in Texas WIC vendors: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify differences in food-shopping environments of Texas WIC vendors using a culturally adapted instrument. METHODS: A survey tool was developed for measuring food availability, accessibility, and affordability in 111 WIC vendors in Texas. Two-tailed t-tests and Mann-Whitney tests were used for rural/urban and Texas-Mexico border/non-border area comparisons. RESULTS: Prices were higher in rural areas than in urban areas for 2 key foods, fruits (p = .024) and milk (p = .007); non-border vendors had overall better food availability than border vendors; non-border vendors had better accessibility for fruits (p = .007) than border vendors. CONCLUSION: In Texas, disparities in food-shopping environments are evident and can be assessed using a culturally adapted survey tool.

Elementary school personnel's perceptions on childhood obesity: pervasiveness and facilitating factors.

BACKGROUND: Researchers in numerous disciplines have investigated the effects of the school environment on childhood obesity (CHO), one of the greatest current health concerns in the United States. There is a gap in current empirical evidence, however, on school personnel's perspectives of this issue. This study examined school personnel's perceptions of obesity as a problem among school-aged children and their views on factors contributing to obesity. METHODS: Thirty-one semistructured interviews were conducted with elementary school personnel (teachers, administrators, and support staff) from 5 rural schools with a predominantly Hispanic (58.18%) and Black (30.24%) student population. The constant comparison method was used to identify emergent themes. RESULTS: All but one participant considered obesity to be a problem among elementary children. Factors facilitating obesity most frequently cited by school personnel were home environment, poor nutrition, child control of dietary choices, child inactivity, and entertainment electronics. CONCLUSIONS: Child control of dietary choices in both home and school environments was identified as a major contributor to obesity. Further exploration of this control is warranted to understand the complexity of this dynamic and its potential link to CHO.