Research article
Low Physical Fitness Among Fifth- and Seventh-Grade Students, Georgia, 2006

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2008.11.015Get rights and content

Background

The nationwide epidemic of obesity may be due, in part, to declining levels of physical activity, raising the possibility that other components of health-related physical fitness may also be in decline. Few data are available to describe and monitor the physical fitness of children and youth. The Georgia Youth Fitness Assessment was conducted to assess health-related fitness in Georgia's fifth- and seventh-grade students, provide a baseline against which future progress could be measured, and guide public and private leaders and decision makers.

Methods

A statewide probability sample of fifth- and seventh-grade students designed to enable grade-specific comparisons by gender, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural status was drawn. Measurements included aerobic capacity; body composition; and muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility. Physical activity during the most recent 3 days was assessed. The survey was conducted in 2006; the data were analyzed in 2007–2008.

Results

Ninety-three schools (86% response rate) and 5248 students (77% response rate) participated. Fifty-two percent of students did not meet the standard for healthy aerobic fitness; 23% did not meet the standard for muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility; 30% were outside the recommended range for BMI. Twenty-two percent did not achieve the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. All subgroups (e.g., boys/girls, urban/rural) scored poorly.

Conclusions

Substantial numbers of Georgia's fifth- and seventh-grade students exhibit unhealthy levels of physical fitness. These data are consistent with the suggestion that physical inactivity has led to deficient levels of health-related fitness in more areas than just body composition. Monitoring all components of health-related fitness would provide helpful information about the health of children and youth.

Introduction

Cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition are a set of physiologic characteristics commonly referred to as health-related fitness.1 They enable people to conduct routine daily activities with vigor and are associated with the prevention of several chronic diseases.2

The nation is known to be experiencing an epidemic of obesity among adults and children.3, 4 The possibility that declining levels of physical activity are contributing to the obesity problem suggests that other components of health-related physical fitness may also be in decline, further threatening the population's health. Although trend data for U.S. children are not available,5 data from other countries indicate that the cardiovascular fitness of children and youth has been in decline since the 1960s and that the decline has been most rapid in recent decades.6, 7, 8, 9

Aside from surveys of body composition, few population-based assessments of health-related physical fitness of American children have been conducted.5 State-specific surveys are uncommon. The Georgia Youth Fitness Assessment (GYFA) was conducted to (1) document current levels of health-related fitness in selected grades, (2) estimate the percentage of students meeting national recommendations for moderate to vigorous physical activity, (3) provide a baseline against which future progress could be measured, and (4) further stimulate public and private leaders and decision makers to consider potentially helpful actions. The purpose of this article is to share the methods and primary results of the GYFA. To the best of our knowledge, the GYFA is the first statewide survey of youth fitness to use a complex survey design.

Section snippets

Objectives

The primary measurement objective of the GYFA was to provide quantitative estimates for the health-related components of physical fitness for Georgia's fifth- and seventh-grade students and to be able to compare differences by grade, gender, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural status. A secondary objective was to provide quantitative estimates of the students' physical activity behaviors.

Survey Design and Management

The survey, conducted in the fall of 2006, was designed and implemented by a private company and managed by the

Participation Rates and Final Sample Characteristics

Of the 108 sampled schools, 93 (86%) participated in the GYFA. Participation rates were similar for schools with fifth (88%) and seventh (85%) grades, and for schools in urban (84%) and rural (94%) locations. Only four of eight small schools participated, and six of 11 private schools. One public school participated in only fitness tests.

Of 6432 students eligible for fitness testing, 5045 (78%) completed at least one fitness test; 4124 (64%) completed all six fitness tests. Of 6303 students

Conclusion

Substantial numbers of Georgia's fifth- and seventh-grade students exhibit unhealthy levels of physical fitness. The body composition of 30% of students is unhealthy; the cardiorespiratory fitness of 52% is unhealthy; and 23% have unhealthy scores on at least two of four tests of muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility. These data are consistent with the suggestion that physical inactivity has led to deficient levels of health-related fitness in more areas than just body composition, and

References (24)

  • W.B. Strong et al.

    Evidence based physical activity for school-aged youth

    J Pediatr

    (2005)
  • R.R. Pate

    A new definition of youth fitness

    Phys Sportsmed

    (1983)
  • ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription

  • K.M. Flegal et al.

    Prevalence and trends in obesity among U.S. adults, 1999–2000

    JAMA

    (2002)
  • C.L. Ogden et al.

    Prevalence and trends in overweight among U.S. children and adolescents, 1999–2000

    JAMA

    (2002)
  • R.R. Pate et al.

    Cardiorespiratory fitness levels among U.S. youth 12 to 19 years of ageFindings from the 1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Survey

    Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

    (2006)
  • L. Matton et al.

    Secular trends in anthropometric characteristics, physical fitness, physical activity, and biological maturation in Flemish adolescents between 1969 and 2005

    Am J Hum Biol

    (2007)
  • G.R. Tomkinson et al.

    Secular changes in pediatric aerobic fitness test performance: the global picture

    Med Sport Sci

    (2007)
  • G.R. Tomkinson et al.

    Secular changes in aerobic fitness test performance of Australasian children and adolescents

    Med Sport Sci

    (2007)
  • G.R. Tomkinson et al.

    Secular changes in the aerobic fitness test performance and body mass index of Korean children and adolescents (1968–2000)

    Int J Sports Med

    (2007)
  • G.J. Welk et al.

    Fitnessgram reference guide

    Dallas: The Cooper Institute

    (2002)
  • Georgia Youth Fitness Assessment, 2006Atlanta: 2007

  • Cited by (0)

    The full text of this article is available via AJPM Online at www.ajpm-online.net; 1 unit of Category-1 CME credit is also available, with details on the website.

    View full text