When it comes to the Rock, Paper, Scissor game,
it's all in fun but still a little strategy never hurts.
Scientists in the UK have "studied" this popular playground game and concluded that one should start with scissors as it has a psychological advantage.
Research shows that a rock (or stone) is the most popular of the three possible moves in the game of quickfire hand gestures.
If your opponent expects you to pick stone, they will c…

With the implementation of the Federal 'No Child Left Behind' regulations schools have been eliminating both physical education and recess citing the need for extended periods of instruction emphasizing math and reading skills. However, that may soon change. Results from a study released on April 2 indicates that a small but significant benefit for academic achievement in mathematics and reading was observed for girls enrolled in high…

By Andrea Bossenmeyer

A new report asked children what a healthy diet is, and they responded "One in which you do not gain weight." Rather than a diet that gives you all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals you need to grow and develop.

They also interviewed children as young as four. The research indicates that children can be strongly prejudiced against overweight people. Children had little sympathy for people who are overweight. The…

Rachel Sindelar wrote an article entitled, "Is recess necessary in the 21st Century?"

In her report she talks about the trend to eliminate recess and the debate over whether or not recess should remain a standard part of the elementary school daily schedule. The report also identifies the major issues surrounding this debate, summarizes some of the literature relating to the topic of recess, and guides the reader to additional resourc…

A RAND Corporation study says school playgrounds can be important tools in the fight against childhood obesity. However, many are locked and inaccessible to children on weekends – especially in poor and minority neighborhoods.

The study called the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) found that, on average, 66 percent of the schools were unlocked on weekends. But only 57 percent of schools were both unlocked and had accessible faciliti…

The pedometer, a simple and inexpensive step-counting device, significantly increases daily activity levels and even promotes weight loss, according to a recent study directed by Dena Bravata, a senior research scientist at Stanford’s School of Medicine.

Bravata and her team of researchers analyzed study results from 2,767 people, mostly overweight and inactive women, who agreed to keep records of their physical activity while using a pedometer o…

A research study released last week in London found that to get an extra 14 years of life, don't smoke, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and drink alcohol in moderation.

However, it is not expected that this "new knowledge" will have much of an effect. When conducting my dissertation research I came to realize that knowledge rarely motivates one into action. There is often a gap between what we know we should d…

A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that participation in daily physical education classes decreased the odds of becoming an overweight adult by 28%.

"The message for policy makers is that the failure to offer physical education is 'penny wise and pound foolish,"' study investigator Dr. Robert Wm. Blum from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, told Reuters Health.

"With obes…

A study by researchers from University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill School of Public Health found that children did more moderate and vigorous physical activity if the child-care center: had more portable play equipment, such as balls, jump ropes, hula hoops and riding toys; offered more opportunities for indoor and outdoor active play; and provided physical activity training and education for staff and students.

Contrary to popular belief, c…

A new UCLA study has found that elementary schools can significantly increase the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption among low-income students by providing a lunch salad bar.

The findings, published in the December issue of the international peer-reviewed journal Public Health Nutrition, show that the frequency of students' fruit and vegetable consumption increased significantly — from 2.97 to 4.09 times daily — after a salad bar w…

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Fitness research shows that when a computer talks the talk, even couch potatoes can be persuaded to walk the walk. Researchers at Stanford University, who studied sedentary people for a year, found that automated exercise reminder phone calls had about the same get-up-and-go power as calls from human counselors.

"The recording had a very nice, kind of cheerleader voice. It sounded very natural," said study partic…