Abstract
The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans are the first comprehensive, evidence-based guidelines for physical activity published by the federal government. The Guidelines provide guidance for health professionals on the amount and types of physical activity that provide health benefits for Americans aged six and older. For children and adolescents, the Guidelines recommend participation in 60 min of physical activity daily combined with activities 3 days per week of vigorous intensity as well as muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activities. This chapter will provide the following information with a focus on children and adolescents (1) an overview of the Guidelines and their development including a brief summary of key actions that preceded their development; (2) communications activities associated with the release of the Guidelines; and (3) policies and initiatives that may provide the foundation for improving physical activity behavior among children and adolescents.
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the USDHHS or the CDC.
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Abbreviations
- PAG:
-
Physical Activity Guidelines
- PAGAC:
-
Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee
- HHS/USDHHS:
-
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- ODPHP:
-
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
- CDC:
-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- IOM:
-
Institute of Medicine
- DASH:
-
Division of Adolescent and School Health
- CSEP:
-
Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology
- PE:
-
Physical education
- PEP:
-
Physical Education for Progress
- AAHPERD:
-
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance
- NASPE:
-
National Alliance for Sport and Physical Education
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Wargo, J.D., Fulton, J.E., Lee, S.M. (2013). Development and Release of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: Children and Adolescents. In: Williams, J., Pasch, K., Collins, C. (eds) Advances in Communication Research to Reduce Childhood Obesity. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5511-0_21
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