I f your school days are behind you, you probably remember a gym-class rite of passage: the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. For all of you folks lucky enough to avoid this public school tradition — which, thankfully, ended in — this battery of tests was given twice a year to schoolchildren.
I got to wondering recently: What on earth were we thinking? And how would I fare if I took the test now? Get started for free today.
Turns out the test can be traced all the way back to President Dwight Eisenhower. In , Dr. Student surveys showed no significant differences in knowledge between groups.
Most students in both groups knew the importance of exercising 5 days or more per week, knew that 60 minutes of daily exercise is needed for good health, learned how to be fit in PE classes, and learned about setting fitness goals to improve fitness scores.
Student BMI percentiles were not significantly different between groups at baseline or follow-up, and change from baseline to follow-up was not significantly different between groups. No predictors were significantly associated with the MVPA model. Minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels at baseline and follow-up, by group, in an evaluation of student outcomes in a sample of middle schools participating in the Presidential Youth Fitness Program PYFP , — The evaluation comprised 13 PYFP schools and 13 comparison schools.
In the bivariate analysis, baseline Vo 2max was modestly but significantly higher among PYFP students than comparison students, whereas change in Vo 2max from baseline to follow-up was significantly higher among comparison students. This evaluation was the first to assess the effect of PYFP on student health and fitness and to use comparison schools.
Moreover, the positive associations between PYFP and student cardiovascular endurance at follow-up provided evidence for the health benefits of the program.
Interestingly, degree of PYFP implementation was not significantly associated with student outcomes, and professional development courses and fitness recognition resources were underused, which suggests more research is needed to determine the amount of training required for teachers and the role of student recognition in promoting student fitness achievements.
Our study has several limitations. We did not randomly assign schools to PYFP or comparison conditions. PYFP schools had voluntarily started the program 2 or 3 years before the evaluation, and the evaluation was designed to examine PYFP as implemented. Thus, a selection bias may have been present.
In addition, our study was retrospective, so reports by school personnel might have been influenced by memory bias. Lack of random assignment and the retrospective design preclude the ability to determine cause and effect.
Because of the time required to obtain approvals and recruit schools, the study period was limited to 1 semester. A longer study period might have produced different findings. PYFP is a free program with the potential to positively affect student health and fitness outcomes. Strategies to support greater and more consistent use of PYFP resources, such as professional development, and program enhancements to address implementation barriers should be considered.
The program modernized fitness education in school physical education classrooms by emphasizing student health, goal setting, and personal progress. The Presidential Youth Fitness Program drives excellence in physical education by providing free access to high quality resources and tools, including:.
Online and in-person accredited training for physical educators. The program provides schools with access to best practices, including:. The National Fitness Foundation administers the program's key initiatives, including grant opportunities and teacher training's, in order to prepare children for a lifetime of health and fitness.
The PCSFN promotes healthy lifestyles through fitness, sports, and nutrition programs that engage Americans across their whole lifespans.
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