General Fitness and Education Programs: Values and Perspectives

Fitness Programs, Promotion and Education Programs related with physical activity are very studied nowadays. This is great! Because how would you know that this programs and preventive measures are achieving the wanted goals for each person?

In the scientific literature, we can find evaluations made more often in the past 3 to 5 years, meaning that there is a big concern on getting the best results out of the efforts made.

Here are some PROS that have been seen:

+ This programs promote healthy active lifestyles

+ The provide any of their chosen recommended physical activity

+ They increase the physical fitness levels

+ They teach generalizable movement and

+ They teach behavioral skills.

Of course that studies have found some CONS or barriers to get the best out of physical education, which were reported in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine in May of 2009 as follows:

+ Limited curriculum allocations

+ Inadequate resources

+ Low importance of the subject

In a study reported on Health Promotion Practice in 2008, with children, they evaluated a complete program for 12 weeks that tried to cover all aspects for a healthy lifestyle:

Physical Activity

Nutritional Habits

On the following table, we sketch the points they covered.

They found that children are receptive and work favorably, kids with overweight might experience positive changes and it develops preventive habits to avoid certain diseases.

Such programs can work as well for adults, with the adequate modifications of course.

Another interesting study I found, speaks about the role of the pediatricians with kids, on promoting healthy lifestyles, and what are the recommendations they make, depending on their own health status.

They got 387 interviews with pediatricians from Illinois, Chicago (it would be wonderful to know if this results have a similar conduct in other parts or the world.

The interview included aspects like:

* Personal characteristics

* Their practice

* Perceptions about preventive care patterns for children aged 2-10 years

* Managment of overweight children

With mathematic models they analyzed the answers of the interviews and found that:

Healthy and fit pediatricians routinely recommended care on:

+ Child diet

+ Physical activity

+ Assessed television time.

Healthy or fit clinicians only often assessed on television time.

Conclusions of the study were that it is true that the clinicians influence their patients (in this case patients were pediatric, but it could apply all people, not just kids) for application of preventive care depending on their own health status.

So... Start looking for a physician that helps you and/or your kids to follow healthy lifestyles!

For final comment. If you are involved on Fitness Promotion and/or Education Programs, you might already know that there is no blueprint design for them, but a global view of the health goals of each person should be kept in mind when developing them.

In a small poll I made, this were the favourite fitness activities for people:

Out of 64 responses:

Which fitness activity you like most?

38% Cardiovascular training.

5% Resistance training.

20% Weight training.

6% Body building.

6% None.

22% Other.

3% Unable to Answer.

Things like this should be taken in account when designing a specific schedule of activities for any person.

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