646 Fourth Annual Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport Lecture—Statewide Physical Fitness Testing: BIG Waist or BIG Waste?

Increased obesity levels in children and youth can potentially impact health, health care costs, and quality of life. Physical education and physical fitness have been identified as key components addressing increased “waist size” and some seek to address obesity, physical fitness, and health issues via large-scale physical fitness assessment in schools. States are initiating statewide physical fitness and/or physical activity assessment in response to obesity increases and perceived physical fitness declines. Conducting large-scale testing and interpreting results are monumental tasks. Are results of statewide testing accurate, can they be trusted, or is it even is it reasonable to expect that statewide testing will actually improve physical fitness levels and impact obesity levels and future health and fitness levels and behaviors? In this lecture, Dr. James R. Morrow, Jr., Regents Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation at the University of North Texas, will review the viability, usefulness, accuracy, quality, potential, risks, benefits, and issues associated with large-scale physical fitness testing and physical activity assessment in schools. Variables impacting the validity and utility of statewide testing include teachers, administrators, the types of test batteries used, the training received, interpretation of results, and expectations resulting from large-scale testing. In sum, increases in obesity (a BIG “waist”) have been a driving force behind large-scale fitness testing in children and youth. However, is such activity any more than a BIG “waste” of time?