This issue is the other part of a 2...

This issue is the other part of a 2-issue series forward health and fitness. The article by way of Anne Downs titled, Pediatric Physical Activity and Fitness provides information regarding physiological rejoinders to exercise in children and by what means to write exercise prescriptions for children. A compelling aspect of her paper is a discussion examining the public health issues of increasing obesity and declining fitness in children and to what extent changes in society have impacted forward the health and fitness of children. She also provides a challenge to physical therapists in the part we can play in affecting public policy forward issues related to pediatric fitness.

The final paper in this fitness series is at Patricia Ohtake and is titled, Field touchstones of Aerobic Capacity for Children and Older Adults. She provides in-depth information in succession how field tests can be used in children and in older adults to determine aerobic capacity in these couple populations. The information presented in this paper should assist physical therapists in determining valid and reliable estimates of aerobic capacity that should be used for the disentanglement of exercise prescriptions that are not merely safe, but that could facilitate issues research on effectiveness of physical therapy interventions.

The Research Corner at Gail Dechman on the use of shuttle walk ordeals as a means to assess aerobic capacity in patients with cardiopulmonary pathologies is a nice companion piece to the review article forward field tests to assess aerobic capacity. The shuttle walk example is a test that not many populace are aware of, so this article provides information forward how to do the exhibition and can be another submaximal proof to choose from when assessing aerobic capacity.

The Linda Crane censure by Carol Davis is also included in this issue. I don't know in what way many of you heard Carol give the deliver a lecture to but there was a standing compass only crowd in the reproof hall. Her lecture was a thought-provoking discussion of the 'big business' of health care and of by what mode this focus dehumanizes health care delivery and impacts the practice of physical therapy. She made the potent point of how this pendulum of health care urgencys to swing back to a "whole-person caring type that emphasizes treating patients with defer to empowering them, and honoring them in their concede frame of reference." I think that you will find her words exemplify "Professionalism," a first note of the scale element in the Vision 2020 statement.

I faith that you find this 2-issue series onward health and wellness to be a valuable clinical resource in the incorporation of health/wellness issues in clinical physical therapy practice. I implore all of you to become more involved in this area of practice. As physical therapists, we have greatly to offer our patients and to the general public in regards to health and wellness.

Jane Eason, PT PhD

Editor

Copyright Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal Jun 2005

Provided according to ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved