Large-Scale Youth Physical Fitness Testing in the United States: A 25-Year Retrospective Review.

CALIFORNIA; TEXAS

Twenty-five years ago, one of the authors of this article (Pate) published in this journal a "point of view" that was aimed at making the case for large-scale physical fitness testing in American youth (17). While the author expressed caveats and conditions, the basic tenor of the article was positive. The article argued that carefully designed physical fitness testing protocols can have educational value for students, should be included in public health surveillance systems, and ought to be updated regularly in light of new knowledge. This article reflects on developments and advances that have played out over the intervening two and a half decades. Specifically, we will examine a) developments in the methodology for measuring physical fitness in youth, b) contemporary uses of fitness testing in educational settings, c) application of youth fitness testing in public health surveillance, and d) policy applications related to youth fitness. Fundamentally, we will address two questions: How has youth fitness testing evolved over the past 25 years? Is it playing a more productive role in education and public health today than it was in 1989? Because the original article limited its focus to fitness testing in the United States, this article will focus on changes that have occurred in the U.S. The authors recognize, however, that interesting developments have taken place in other countries and regions, including Canada (27), Australia (25), and Europe (26). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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