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Source:
Stewart Trost, 785-532-3365, strost@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Angie Johnson, 785-532-6415
Tuesday,
October 14, 2003
PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY SHOULD BE A VITAL COMPONENT OF ADOLESCENTS' ROUTINES
MANHATTAN
-- You don't have to sweat, run a marathon, or huff and puff for
it to count, said Stewart Trost, Kansas State University assistant
professor in the department of kinesiology and community health
institute. Physical activity can be as simple as walking and Trost
wants adolescents to get on their feet at an early age.
According
to Trost, lack of physical activity in adolescents is a huge problem
today. The prevalence of overweight children and adolescents in
the United States, ages 6 to 19, has tripled since 1963. Trost said
childhood obesity is dangerous and associated with several significant
health risks, including an increase in blood pressure, cholesterol
and risk for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
He
said we have a generation of chronic disease. Those such as high
blood pressure will stay with adolescents as they grow older.
"We
will eventually have a huge tidal wave of chronic disease coming
our way and eventually it will crash," Trost said. "We
need to pay attention to these signs early in life. We are headed
for a crisis if we don't do something early." Just this week
federal researchers announced that one in three Americans born in
2000 will develop adult-onset diabetes -- and they related this
rising rate directly to the increasing incidence of obesity among
Americans.
Children's'
physical activity and eating habits are an important factor as behaviors
develop at the beginning of life, Trost said. The behaviors established
as a child will determine a person's behaviors for the rest of their
life. He said mistakes were made nearly 30 years ago when people
thought physical activity had to be vigorous and structured.
"Moderate
activity, such as brisk walking, can have a positive effect on health.
It doesn't necessarily have to be sustained," he said. "Incidental
activity, such as taking the stairs or walking the mall, can accumulate
and contribute to the total physical activity at the end of the
day."
Finding
an activity that's enjoyable is important, Trost said, and it's
as simple as something that one can find success doing. He said
having a companion to serve as competition and social support during
physical activity helps to achieve goals and objectives.
The
health objectives for 2010 set by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services includes getting adolescence to engage in either
three 20-minute sessions of vigorous physical activity, or five
30-minute sessions of moderate physical activity per week. The Youth
Risk Behavior Survey, performed by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention in Atlanta, showed that only two-thirds of adolescents
were meeting those standards.
"Parents,
along with government, physicians and educators, should be aware
of this," Trost said. "We need to reach out more to parents
and give them assistance because they play a key role in this. They
are the gatekeeper of their child's activities and eating behaviors."
Trost
believes that a change in the environment is necessary to correct
the problem. Technology has also become a contributing factor as
adolescents engage in "screen time," which consists of
television, movies, games, the Internet and more. Trost said sitting
in this type of medium does nothing but promote unhealthy foods
as children are bombarded with fast food commercials.
"It's
a toxic environment. We're surrounded by labor-saving devices and
calorie-dense foods that are easily accessible," he said. "Parents
need to be aware of this and help regulate and moderate their child's
screen time."
Trost
came to K-State this fall after teaching at the University of Queensland,
Australia. He received both his bachelor's degree in health education
and promotion and his master's degree in exercise physiology from
Oregon State University. He received his doctorate in exercise physiology
in the School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.
Trost's
research interests include the assessment of physical activity in
children adolescents; the prevention and treatment of childhood
obesity and its associated metabolic disorders; the psychosocial
and environmental determinants of physical activity behavior; community
and school-based promotion of physical activity; and the relationship
between physical activity and other health behaviors. Trost has
received numerous grants and since 1996 has published more than
50 research articles on children's physical activity.
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