Introduction
Historically, physical educators have had to confront obstacles in their classes because of overweight and obese students. Traditional physical education practices toward overweight students are habitually ridiculed in print and movies (Duncan, Nolan, & Wood, 2002). The media commonly portrays physical educators as overweight, un-attractive, and deficient as teachers, and they humorously depict obese students who cannot perform physical skills that their normal-weight peers can do with ease. It is obvious that the physical education profession has a public relations problem in regard to how obese students are treated. However, the more serious problem is that physical educators themselves may be a reason for their students' excess weight and, unknowingly, may impede these students from attaining an improved health status.
Society as a whole views the obese population negatively. Along with the evidence that points to physical diseases and disabilities that can emanate from excessive weight, the reality is that the obese are ridiculed, insulted, and victimized on a daily basis (Lewis, Cash, Jacobi, & Bubb-Lewis, 1997). These actions and the nature of society in general can be counterproductive, because they unconsciously damage the self-confidence of the obese and their ability to lose or manage their weight.
Problem Introduction
The Physical Health Dilemma
Excess weight conditions in the United States are at epidemic proportions, and the numbers are increasing daily. There are estimates that almost two-thirds (61%) of Americans are overweight and one out of four (27%) are obese (Centers lot Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2001). These statistics are even more disturbing when compared to the numbers Dora 20 years ago. In1980, only 32 percent of the American population was considered over-weight and 15 percent were obese (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2001)......
