Physical Activity Of Adolescent Girls Could Be Increased By After-School Programs

Showing just how pathetic a way exercise is to lose weight.

"Afterschool programs can modestly increase the amount of physical activity among girls in middle school, according to new results from the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG), a multiple site, community based study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health."

How pathetic?

"The study found that programs which linked schools in 6 geographic regions of the U.S. with community partners (such as the YMCA or YWCA, local health clubs, and community recreation centers) increased time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among the middle-school female students by about 2 minutes per day, or 80 calories a week. This finding occurred after three years of the intervention but not after two years. Physical activity was measured using accelerometers (a device for measuring the acceleration of motion), rather than self-reported."

And this was "moderate-to-vigorous physical activity" which is a higher level than recommended by the experts for the general population. Plus it was in younger persons, clearly more capable of physical activity than fat, overweight/obese older persons.

"The authors write that results suggest this improved level of activity could prevent excess weight gain of about 2 pounds per year (or 0.82 kg per year), which, if sustained, could prevent a girl from becoming overweight as a teenager or adult."

The authors are lying.

Look above. They used high-powered measuring devices and recorded data instead of using self-reported information. This means that the subjects were present.

If this "intervention" had any value at all, they would not have to "suggest this improved level of activity could prevent excess weight gain."

They would know, because they could have measured it.

"In addition, TAAG showed a reduction of 8.2 minutes of sedentary behavior in girls in the intervention schools. Furthermore, the best results were seen in programs offered between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, which suggest that afterschool programs are more effective than programs offered at other times, such as morning weekdays and weekends. The study results support the need for schools and community programs to work together to provide opportunities for physical activity programs in afterschool settings."

Bullsh**.

The study results obviously support the need to look elsewhere, shut these liars up and stop funding this crap.