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The purpose of this study was to investigate students' perceptions of physical educators. The study examined the following characteristics of instructors: 1) the effect appearance had on the instructors' ability to instill exercise intentions; 2) the effect the instructor's body image had on their credibility; 3) the students' perceptions of the instructor as being knowledgeable; 4) the students' belief that the instructor was a role model; and 5) the effect of gender on students' perceptions. Participants in this study consisted of male and female seventh- and eighth-grade students in a metropolitan region in the southeastern United States (n = 805). Students completed the survey which consisted of four images with varying body types. Participants were asked questions on their perception, attitude, and behavioral intentions. The study revealed a disconnect between the physical educators appearance and their message to their students.
One third of the children in the United States are overweight or obese (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention , 2008b; Ogden , Carroll & Flegal, 2008). Health care experts caution that diese values are dangerously high . America's adolescents are the most obese teenagers in the world . Today 's children may have a lower life expectancy man their parents because of numerous health complications brought on by obesity (Lavizzo-Mourey, 2004) leading to die first generation in more than a century to have shorter life spans than meir parents (Olshansky, et al., 2005).
Body mass index (BMI) is the most widely accepted screening method for identifying overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Obtaining the height and weight measurements needed to calculate BMI is the most widely accepted screening method for overweight and obesity because these measurements are non-invasive. The BMI correlates with the level of body fat (Mei, et al., 2002). Children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are categorized as being overweight when their BMI values are at or above die 85tii percentile but lower than the 95th percentile. They are categorized as obese when their BMI values are at or above the 95th percentile (Barlow & the Expert Committee,2007). Childhood obesity predisposes children to numerous physiological complications, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and heart attack, hypertension, dyslipidemia, impaired glucose homeostasis, sleepapnea, accelerated pubertal skeletal development, and orthopedic disorders...