Theme PARC:
November 2008
Topic: The Children's Health and Activity Modification Program (C.H.A.M.P.)
Childhood Obesity: A Growing Concern
The increasing rates of obesity and decreasing rates of physical activity among children are of unprecedented concern as both are associated with numerous detrimental physical, psychosocial, and social consequences (Summerbell et al., 2003). Increasingly, Canadian children are at risk. For example, in 2004, 26% of children and adolescents aged 2 to 17 years were overweight or obese, in comparison to 15% in 1978 (Canada House of Commons, 2007). With regard to activity levels, Canadian children recently received an overall grade of D on Canada's 2008 Report Card on Physical Activity (Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2008). This unsatisfactory grade has been consistent over the past few years because "definitive and measurable progress is not yet fully evident, demonstrating the need for sustained and increased efforts" (Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2008, p. 8).
The Children's Health and Activity Modification Program (C.H.A.M.P.)
Recently, our research team obtained funding from The Lawson Foundation for a 2-year (2008-2009) pilot project addressing childhood obesity. The purpose was to develop and implement a comprehensive, 4-week lifestyle intervention program (referred to as CHAMP, an acronym for Children's Health and Activity Modification Program) for obese children and their families. In August, 2008, 16 obese children (aged 8-14) and their families were introduced to the components of CHAMP including: (1) group-based physical activity, (2) behaviour modification counselling, (3) dietary counselling, and (4) weekly education sessions for families focusing on behaviour modification strategies, physical activity, and nutrition in the home environment. Specific objectives of CHAMP are to improve: (a) physical activity levels (measured using accelerometers and self-report logs); (b) psychological outcomes (e.g., quality of life, perceptions of belongingness); (c) physiological outcomes (e.g., fitness, body fat percentage); and (d) dietary behaviours. Although data analyses from Year 1 are incomplete, preliminary results appear promising and anecdotal reports from children, guardians, and program staff have been extremely positive. In Year 2 (August 2009), the research team will offer this program to 30 obese children (ages 10 - 12, with a body mass index greater than the 95th percentile for age and gender) and their families.
CHAMP has been created with a focus on increasing physical activity and other health-related behaviours in the camp and home environments. A number of strategies and educational sessions have been incorporated into the program that focus on continuing healthy behaviours in the home environment, and program follow-up support is also offered. For example, post-program support is offered regularly in the form of group-based "booster sessions" that include motivational tips and encouragement, goal setting, social support, and discussions related to overcoming barriers to physical activity and healthy food choices. Regular e-mail and telephone contact is also provided to families following the program.
Children attend CHAMP from 9am until 4pm from Monday to Friday for a total of 4 weeks. The typical CHAMP day consists of an educational session related to health or another relevant topic (e.g., bullying), as well as aerobic (e.g., hiking), water-based (e.g., aqua-aerobics), circuit-based (e.g., resistance training), and games-based (e.g., soccer) activities. Weekly family education sessions are also held every Saturday for 4 hours, for a total of 4 weekends.
The cost of CHAMP is $200.00 per child/family for 4 weeks. This includes transportation, a family membership at the YMCA, and weekly field trips. Ultimately, the research team would like to offer CHAMP on an annual basis with a larger number of children and families.
Research Team and Contact Information
The C.H.A.M.P. research team consists of Drs. Shauna Burke, Jennifer Irwin, Kevin Shoemaker, Robert Petrella, Harry Prapavessis, Albert Carron, Meizi He, and Jason Gilliland.
For additional information about this program, please contact:
Dr. Shauna Burke
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
The University of Western Ontario
Arthur & Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building, Room 202
London, ON Canada
N6A 5B9
Phone: 519-661-2111 Ext. 82214
E-mail: sburke9@uwo.ca
Theme PARC:
October 2008
Topic: Physical Activity & Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer awareness in October also brings us this new research - start exercise young to avoid breast cancer. Girls and women who exercise regularly between the ages of 12 and 35 are 23 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer before menopause than those who don't, according to new research published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute. Among the study's 65,000 participants, the most active women reported running an equivalent of 3.25 hours a week, or just under 30 minutes a day, but any type of exercise provides benefits. If you need help staying motivated, remember the best strategy is to vary your workouts and that means even strength training counts too.
To find out more on this latest research we suggest you check out these links.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513171443.htm
Girls, Young Women Can Cut Risk Of Early Breast Cancer Through Regular Exercise
Science Daily (May 14, 2008) — Mothers, here's another reason to encourage your daughters to be physically active: Girls and young women who exercise regularly between the ages of 12 and 35 have a substantially lower risk of breast cancer before menopause compared to those who are less active, new research shows.
In the largest and most detailed analysis to date of the effects of exercise on premenopausal breast cancer, the study of nearly 65,000 women found that those who were physically active had a 23 percent lower risk of breast cancer before menopause. In particular, high levels of physical activity from ages 12 to 22 contributed most strongly to the lower breast cancer risk.
The study is by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University in Boston. "We don't have a lot of prevention strategies for premenopausal breast cancer, but our findings clearly show that physical activity during adolescence and young adulthood can pay off in the long run by reducing a woman's risk of early breast cancer," says lead investigator Graham Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., the Niess-Gain Professor and associate director of Prevention and Control at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. "This is just one more reason to encourage young girls and women to exercise regularly."
One-fourth of all breast cancers are diagnosed in women before menopause. Numerous studies have shown that physical activity reduces the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, but the few studies that have looked at the influence of exercise on breast cancer risk before menopause have produced conflicting results.
For the current analysis, researchers examined data on a subset of women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study II, a prospective study of registered nurses ages 24 to 42. These 64,777 women had filled out detailed annual questionnaires about their levels of physical activity from age 12 on. After six years of follow-up, 550 women had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The researchers found the age-adjusted incidence rates for invasive breast cancer dropped from 194 cases per 100,000 person-years in the least active women to 136 cases in the most active. The levels of physical activity reported by the most active women were the equivalent of running 3.25 hours a week or walking 13 hours a week. The benefit of exercise was not linked to a particular sport or intensity but related to total activity.
"You don't have to be a marathon runner to get the risk-reducing benefits of exercise," Colditz adds.
One leading theory to explain the lower risk of breast cancer among active young women is that exercise reduces their exposure to estrogens. Numerous studies have shown that the more estrogen a woman is exposed to, the greater her risk for breast cancer. Thus, women who begin menstruating later or enter menopause early have a lower risk of breast cancer. And young women who are physically active are more likely to start their periods later and less likely to have regular cycles when they begin their periods.
The research was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.
Journal reference:
1.Maruit SS, Willett WC, Feskanich D, Rosner B, Colditz GA. A prospective study of age-specific physical activity and premenopausal breast cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. May 13, 2008 (advance online publication).
Adapted from materials provided by Washington University School of Medicine.
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/djn135
A Prospective Study of Age-Specific Physical Activity and Premenopausal Breast Cancer
Sonia S. Maruti, Walter C. Willett, Diane Feskanich, Bernard Rosner, Graham A. Colditz
Affiliations of authors: Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (SSM, WCW, DF, BR, GAC); Departments of Epidemiology (SSM, WCW, GAC) and Nutrition (SSM, WCW), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (SSM); Cancer Prevention Program, Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA (SSM); Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO (GAC)
Correspondence to: Sonia S. Maruti, MSc, ScD, Cancer Prevention Program, Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N., M4-B402, Seattle, WA 98109-1024 (e-mail: smaruti@fhcrc.org ).
Background: Physical activity has been consistently associated with lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, but its relationship with premenopausal breast cancer is unclear. We investigated whether physical activity is associated with reduced incidence of premenopausal breast cancer, and, if so, what age period and intensity of activity are critical.
Methods: A total of 64 777 premenopausal women in the Nurses' Health Study II reported, starting on the 1997 questionnaire, their leisure-time physical activity from age 12 to current age. Cox regression models were used to examine the relationship between physical activity, categorized by age period (adolescence, adulthood, and lifetime) and intensity (strenuous, moderate, walking, and total), and risk of invasive premenopausal breast cancer.
Results: During 6 years of follow-up, 550 premenopausal women developed breast cancer. The strongest associations were for total leisure-time activity during participants' lifetimes rather than for any one intensity or age period. Active women engaging in 39 or more metabolic equivalent hours per week (MET-h/wk) of total activity on average during their lifetime had a 23% lower risk of premenopausal breast cancer (relative risk = 0.77; 95% confidence interval = 0.64 to 0.93) than women reporting less activity. This level of total activity is equivalent to 3.25 h/wk of running or 13 h/wk of walking. The age-adjusted incidence rates of breast cancer for the highest ( 54 MET-h/wk) and lowest (<21 MET-h/wk) total lifetime physical activity categories were 136 and 194 per 100 000 person-years, respectively. High levels of physical activity during ages 12–22 years contributed most strongly to the association.
Conclusions: Leisure-time physical activity was associated with a reduced risk for premenopausal breast cancer in this cohort. Premenopausal women regularly engaging in high amounts of physical activity during both adolescence and adulthood may derive the most benefit.
"Vigorous exercise protects against breast cancer"
Plenty of vigorous exercise can cut a healthy, older woman's breast cancer risk by 30 percent, researchers said on Friday.
www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth
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