It has long been proven that early intervention programs at the primary grade level help children struggling in school succeed academically. Numerous programs have been developed across the country that seek to improve children’s skills in reading, writing and mathematics. There are even federal initiatives to encourage children’s interest in the sciences. However, in the rush to ensure that Kentucky’s children achieve academically, there is a rising concern that the importance of a child’s physical development is forgotten.

In the summer of 2003, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) declared obesity a health epidemic in the United States. Of particular concern in the CDC report was the growing number of children and teens who are diagnosed as clinically obese and living with type II diabetes; a disease that is historically prevalent in adults.

In response to this concern, the University of Kentucky Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion (KHP), in collaboration with the UK College of Medicine, has established a unique research laboratory at the Seaton Center dedicated to the study of pediatric physical development. The Pediatric Exercise Physiology (PEP) laboratory is one of only a handful of facilities in the world designed specifically to serve the needs of pediatric patients. Dr. Jody Clasey, a KHP researcher and associate professor, is the lab’s director.

What makes the PEP lab different is immediately noticeable. While the equipment resembles typical exercise machines found in a gymnasium or commercial health club, they are all designed specifically for young children from kindergarten age through middle school. The stationary bikes and the weight/resistance training equipment are small. They are designed to accommodate the shorter stature and limb lengths of a young person’s body.

“Through a series of large equipment grants, we have been able to purchase a nice set of pediatric-sized exercise testing and training equipment. As we gain more knowledge and insight into childhood development, there will be a need to upgrade the equipment we have. We are always seeking ways in which to improve the resources and technology for our research,” said Professor Clasey.

Since its inception, this unique lab has been awarded grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Gatorade® and the Children’s Miracle Network to establish research protocols in the study of childhood obesity.

“In our study, children have been responding very well to the exercise regimen we have been using. The kids are not only losing excess weight and becoming healthier and more fit; they are meeting their goals at a much faster rate than we expected. It really does support the findings that children’s bodies respond to exercise and lose excess body fat in a manner similar to adults, and that children may actually be better at keeping the weight off,” Clasey commented.

While the study is mostly focused on increasing the fitness level of these children, in a tangential way, it is also adding to the body of evidence that when obese children successfully lose weight there is a corresponding improvement in their sense of self-esteem.

“There are ongoing research projects designed to see if children who are physically fit perform better in school. What we have found is not so much a direct connection between fitness and academic performance but, rather, it seems there are intermediate steps in which successfully defeating obesity may be a step in a process to improve academic ability. It is reasonable to theorize that the interventions developed at the PEP lab may have a hand in helping young children become goal-oriented and increase self-esteem and self-confidence which, in turn, may help improve their overall academic success,” said Clasey.

It is tempting, said Clasey, to conclude that obesity would be prevented or controlled better if intervention occurred at an early age, when there is a greater chance of successfully changing habits. But more study remains to be done before such a conclusion could be drawn.

The unique quality of the PEP lab positions the University of Kentucky as a leader in the study of pediatric physical development. “It is important to keep in mind that the physiology of children is different in many ways than that of adults, and this may require unique approaches to treatment and intervention,” Clasey commented.

The lab offers opportunities to better explore ways to address these differences and to provide services to a wide range of pediatric populations. We know that early intervention in physical health is a key to reducing the likelihood that children will carry adverse health consequences into adulthood.