CHICAGO – Overweight children who took part in lifestyle-
focused, fitness-oriented gym classes showed significant
improvement in body composition, fitness, and insulin levels,
according to a study in the October issue of Archives of
Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. Obesity and poor physical fitness constitute a health
problem affecting an increasing number of children. Childhood
obesity and poor physical fitness are associated with insulin
resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, blood lipid abnormalities,
and high blood pressure in later life, according to background
information in the article. The causes of childhood obesity
include a pervasive "toxic" environment that facilitates
increased caloric intake and reduced physical activity. In order
to alter the children's environment, the authors suggest, an
effective strategy for prevention and treatment of childhood
obesity must be pervasive and collaborative. The school setting
is an attractive starting point for a collabor