Adolescents who take part in team sports, or who actively commute to school, are less likely to be obese
- School of Health and Human Performance, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- Correspondence to
: Dr Catherine B Woods
School of Health and Human Performance, Dublin City University, Dublin D9, Ireland; catherine.woods{at}dcu.ie
Commentary on: Drake KM, Beach ML, Longacre MR, et al. Influence of sports, physical education and active commuting to school on adolescent weight status. Pediatrics 2012;130:e296–304.
Implications for practice and research
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Prevalence of childhood obesity is a global concern.
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Low levels of physical activity (PA) are commonplace; evidence for PA intervention in reducing body mass index (BMI) is inconclusive.
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Regular participation in structured sport and frequent walking or cycling to school may decrease the prevalence of overweight children and obesity.
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Future research must acknowledge the importance of longitudinal data in order to fully understand the role of PA in the prevention and management of overweight and obesity.
Context
Cross-sectional and longitudinal data suggest PA and fitness markers are associated with enhanced health and cognitive function in …
