National Academies Press: OpenBook

Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth (2012)

Chapter: Front Matter

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

Fitness Measures and
Health Outcomes in Youth

Committee on Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth

Russell Pate, Maria Oria, and Laura Pillsbury, Editors

Food and Nutrition Board

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
         OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS    500 Fifth Street, NW    Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Grant No. 61747 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-26284-2
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-26284-4

Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at: www.iom.edu.

Copyright 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost all cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent adopted as a logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient Greece, now held by the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.

Cover credit: Image designed by Casey Weeks.

Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2012. Fitness measures and health outcomes in youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
”      

                                                —Goethe

image

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
                OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advising the Nation. Improving Health.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

COMMITTEE ON FITNESS MEASURES AND HEALTH OUTCOMES IN YOUTH

RUSSELL R. PATE (Chair), Professor, Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia

CAMERON BLIMKIE, Professor, Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario

DARLA CASTELLI, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas, Austin

CHARLES B. CORBIN, Professor Emeritus, Department of Exercise and Wellness, Arizona State University, Phoenix

STEPHEN R. DANIELS, Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Pediatrician-in-Chief, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora

HAROLD W. KOHL III, Professor, School of Public Health and Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, and Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas, Austin

ROBERT M. MALINA, Professor Emeritus, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas, Austin and Research Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas

JENNIFER SACHECK, Associate Professor, John Hancock Research Center on Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts

DAVID STODDEN, Associate Professor, Department of Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock

MELICIA WHITT-GLOVER, President and CEO, Gramercy Research Group, LLC, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

WEIMO ZHU, Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Study Staff

MARIA ORIA, Study Director

LAURA PILLSBURY, Program Officer

ALLISON BERGER, Senior Program Assistant

ALICE VOROSMARTI, Research Associate

ANTON L. BANDY, Financial Officer

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

GERALDINE KENNEDO, Administrative Assistant

LINDA D. MEYERS, Director, Food and Nutrition Board

Consultants

MICHAEL W. BEETS, University of South Carolina, Columbia

RONA BRIERE, Briere Associates, Inc., Arlington, Virginia

WILLIAM H. DIETZ, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia (retired)

JOAN M. DORN, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

JANET E. FULTON, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

SARAH M. LEE, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

MELINDA MILLARD-STAFFORD, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

JANE WARGO, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, Rockville, Maryland

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Virginia Rall Chomitz, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

Wm. Cameron Chumlea, Lifespan Health Research Center, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio

Angela Diaz, Department of Pediatrics and Department of Preventative Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York

Avery Faigenbaum, Department of Health and Exercise Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing

B. Don Franks, Department of Kinesiology, School of Public health, University of Maryland, College Park

Maxine Hayes, State of Washington Department of Health, Tumwater

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

Steven Heymsfield, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Duane Knudson, Department of Health & Human Performance, Texas State University, San Marcos

Matthew Mahar, Department of Kinesiology, The College of Health & Human Performance, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina

J. Michael McGinnis, Institute of Medicine, Washington, DC

Thomas McKenzie, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, California

Mark Tremblay, Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Canada

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the report’s conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Diane Birt, Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University, and Elena O. Nightingale, Scholar-in-Residence, Institute of Medicine. Appointed by the Institute of Medicine, both were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

Preface

This report, initiated at the request of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, belongs to a series that is part of a broad effort of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on preventing childhood obesity. Past reports in the series have focused on areas in which preventive interventions could make a difference in the struggle against obesity. This report is the first to look directly at the role of youth physical fitness in health. The committee that conducted this study was charged with recommending the best health-related measures of various components of fitness for inclusion in a national youth fitness survey and, secondarily, recommending test items for administration in educational settings. As an aid in accomplishing this task, the committee was provided with a scientific literature search conducted and managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Physical fitness test batteries for youth have been designed and administered widely in the United States since the mid–20th century. While the components of fitness measured and the specific test items included in protocols have varied considerably across test batteries and over time, youth fitness testing has become a well-established institution in school physical education programs. In addition, national surveys of youth fitness were conducted periodically between the late 1950s and the mid-1980s; the period from the mid-1980s to the present, however, has seen a hiatus in such surveys, perhaps as the result of an increased emphasis on surveys of physical activity behavior as distinct from fitness. With the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in American youth and expanded knowledge of the impact of fitness on health outcomes, interest in the fitness status of contemporary children and adolescents has grown. Accordingly, this report is intended to provide

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

guidance for the designers of a national survey of health-related fitness in American youth. Also, recognizing the importance of fitness testing in school physical education programs and in accordance with its statement of task, the committee recommends health-related fitness test items that are seen as both valid and feasible for administration in educational settings.

An important and sometimes vexing aspect of health surveys is the establishment of criteria for interpreting the survey findings. Accordingly, this report also includes guidelines for setting standards for performance on the various fitness test items included in the recommended battery. In doing its work, moreover, the committee encountered many gaps in the relevant scientific evidence; thus an important element of the report is a set of recommendations for future research on fitness testing in youth.

The committee comprised 11 experts with extensive knowledge in a range of areas related to fitness and physical activity, metabolic health, growth and maturation, body composition, and physical education, as well as the development of standards and validation of tests. In addition to its reviews of the literature and discussions in closed meetings, the committee benefited from rich discussions with other experts in fitness and youth during an open session. On behalf of the committee, I sincerely thank the participants and speakers who contributed to this open session, providing information critical to the completion of this report.

On behalf of the committee, I also would like to express my deep appreciation to the consultants who led the literature search, a main resource for the committee’s recommendations. Michael W. Beets, William H. Dietz, Joan Dorn, Janet E. Fulton, Sarah M. Lee, Melinda L. Stafford-Millard, and Jane Wargo not only conducted the main literature search but also facilitated the committee’s work by providing abstractions and summaries of the literature as requested. I would like to express my appreciation as well to Laura C. Leviton, senior adviser for evaluation at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, whose leadership has provided impetus for so many efforts on obesity prevention at the IOM, and to Tina J. Kauh, research and evaluation program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

I would also like to gratefully acknowledge the effort and skill the committee members brought to this study. Their backgrounds, experiences, and passion for the subject matter resulted in a report that will have a long life. Finally, I thank the project staff of the National Academies—Maria Oria, study director; Laura Pillsbury, program officer; and Allison Berger, senior program assistant—for their tireless dedication to the production of this report.

Robert R. Pate, Chair
Committee on Fitness Measures and Health
Outcomes in Youth

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R12
Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R13
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13483.
×
Page R14
Next: Summary »
Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $53.00 Buy Ebook | $42.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Physical fitness affects our ability to function and be active. At poor levels, it is associated with such health outcomes as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Physical fitness testing in American youth was established on a large scale in the 1950s with an early focus on performance-related fitness that gradually gave way to an emphasis on health-related fitness. Using appropriately selected measures to collected fitness data in youth will advance our understanding of how fitness among youth translates into better health.

In Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth, the IOM assesses the relationship between youth fitness test items and health outcomes, recommends the best fitness test items, provides guidance for interpreting fitness scores, and provides an agenda for needed research.

The report concludes that selected cardiorespiratory endurance, musculoskeletal fitness, and body composition measures should be in fitness surveys and in schools. Collecting fitness data nationally and in schools helps with setting and achieving fitness goals and priorities for public health at an individual and national level.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!