Percentage of students in fifth, seventh and ninth grades who met six out of six fitness standards in the Physical Fitness Test in the past three years:
Grade 5
2011 - 25.2
2012 - 25.4
2013 - 25.5
Grade 7
2011 - 32.1
2012 - 31.9
2013 - 32.4
Grade 9
2011 - 36.8
2012 - 36.5
2013 - 36.5
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Despite widespread efforts to curb childhood obesity and promote exercise among young people, most students have fallen short on California’s annual physical fitness test.
Just a third of fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders proved to be physically fit in all six fitness areas measured by the 2012-13 test, also known as the Fitnessgram, according to results released Wednesday. (PFT results)[1]
The assessment measures the health and athleticism of students by scoring their aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extensor (back) strength, upper body strength and flexibility.
“We know how important health is,” said Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction, on Wednesday morning during a news conference at John Muir Fundamental Elementary School in Santa Ana. “It goes hand in hand with student success.”
About 26 percent of fifth-graders, 32.4 percent of seventh-graders and 37 percent of ninth-graders scored in the “Healthy Fitness Zone” for all six areas. The totals for fifth-graders were just one-tenth of a percentage point higher than last year, seventh-graders showed the biggest gains from 31.9 percent last year and ninth-graders’ performance was flat.
Torlakson pointed out that fifth- and seventh-grade students improved in aerobic capacity and body composition, two areas considered among the most important gauges of health.
About 1.34 million fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-graders took the 2012-13 test.
“I’m pleased to see the slow shift toward better health continue, but when only about a third of our students are physically fit, we are nowhere near the end of this effort,” Torlakson said. “To help them succeed in school and in life, California’s young people need more access to physical activity, fresh, healthy food and clean water.”
Torlakson said those efforts include having 1,000 salad bars placed in school cafeterias by year’s end. Thus far, he said, about 450 schools have added salad bars to their lunchrooms.
This work falls in line with first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move Campaign,” which strives to lower childhood obesity rates, and Los Angeles Unified School District’s decision last year to revamp its menu to include a range of healthful options for students. In spite of such efforts, just 18.7 percent of fifth-graders, 21.4 percent of seventh-graders and 28.4 percent of students in Los Angeles Unified have met all six standards on the fitness test.
Kristen Holm, a Lucille Smith Elementary School wellness coordinator in the Lawndale School District, said more needs to be done to educate parents, teachers and students about the importance of health and wellness.
“I learned type 2 diabetes is on the rise and it’s important our students eat a healthy breakfast and get a good night’s sleep,” Holm said. “It’s not just about being skinny, it’s about starting healthy habits at a young age.”
Holm said she began a running club and family nutrition night in which parents participate in such discussions as ‘Rethink your drink.’ Healthy California and Little Company Mary Medical Center are partners for the nutrition nights.
About 23.9 percent of fifth-graders and 50.7 percent of seventh-graders scored in the Healthy Fitness Zone for all six areas in the Lawndale Elementary District.
“I think a lot of pressure has been placed on the schools when it comes to testing and P.E. has been one of the things a lot of districts have cut. Lawndale has made it a priority that kids get their physical fitness in.”
Fontana Unified also struggled in getting students to be proficient in all six areas as just 18 percent of fifth-graders, 24.6 percent of seventh-graders and 32.7 percent of students met all six standards on the fitness test.
Fontana Unified board member Lorena Corona said the school district has taken “baby steps” to improve students’ fitness but needs to consider a more focused approach.
She praised the city for setting a tone in the community on healthy choices and hopes other board members will embrace the idea of developing a “master plan” to achieve fitness through exercise and healthy eating.
“This is one of our challenges,” she said.
The tests showed that many school districts had clear areas where they were stronger than others. For example, Long Beach Unified students in fifth, seventh and ninth grades all excelled in trunk extension strength, with at least 85.5 of students scoring in the Healthy Fitness Zone for this category. For this test, students lie face down on a mat and use their back muscles to raise their upper body up to a maximum of 12 inches.
“Our school district’s curriculum staff has long included a physical education curriculum leader who works closely with schools and teachers, and that’s not always the case at other school districts,” Long Beach Unified spokesman Chris Eftychiou said.
“That curriculum leader, our teachers and administrators carefully examine data such as the numbers released by the state (Wednesday), and that helps to continually refine the physical education program. The ultimate aim is not to see who can run a fast mile, but it’s to educate students so that they develop lifelong, healthful habits.”
But Long Beach Unified students fell short in the body composition component, which measures body fat. Almost half of fifth-grade students needed improvement or have been identified as high risk in this area.
At the Wednesday news conference, Torlakson stressed that students in good physical shape tend to perform better academically. When physical fitness among students improves, “test scores go up,” said Torlakson, a former teacher and cross-country coach.
A 2010 Journal of Pediatrics study of 1,989 ethnically diverse fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders in California schools echoed that, finding that students with poor aerobic capacity and high body mass index scores performed worse on state standardized tests in math and language arts than their leaner, more physically fit peers.
Although concerns have been raised that students in low-income areas lack access to healthful foods and safe places to exercise, Torlakson said schools such as Muir Elementary demonstrate that it’s possible for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds to excel physically.
“It’s important for all students to exercise,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what your income or background is.”
The students at Muir were eager to demonstrate their fitness abilities for Torlakson. They ran, completed sit-ups and performed jumping jacks for the state schools chief.
In return, Torlakson wriggled his tie off and rolled up his shirt sleeves to join in with the students’ fitness routines. In between bouts of exercise with the Muir students, Torlakson said that he has worked to rid schools of junk food during his nearly three-year tenure as superintendent of public instruction.
He’s not alone in that effort.
“We’ve been concerned for many years about the growing obesity problem and we’ve been looking at ways to address exercise and good eating,” Azusa Unified spokeswoman Kathy Miller said.
“Health has to be a comprehensive approach, it has to be exercise, eating and understanding your healthy needs and understanding what causes issues like diabetes, so families can work to address kids’ health.”
Staff writers Melissa Masatani, Jim Steinberg and Beatriz Valenzuela contributed to this report.
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