Background/Purpose
Method
Analysis/Results
ConclusionsAerobic fitness is considered by experts to be the most important indicator of health-related physical fitness. The new FITNESSGRAM aerobic fitness standards were developed based on clinical associations with metabolic syndrome using nationally representative data from NHANES. The results of the analyses demonstrated that estimates of aerobic fitness have good diagnostic utility for predicting risk of metabolic syndrome in youth. The new health-related standards are slightly higher for girls and slightly lower for boys but the patterns are reasonably consistent with the current FITNESSGRAM values. In girls, the standards decline from 38.1 ml/kg/min to 36.5 ml/kg/min across the developmental transition from 12 to 18 years old. In boys, values increase from approximately 37.9 ml/kg/min to 42 ml/kg/min. The resulting standards are similar to the previously used standards but the new standards provide more empirically sound standards for use across the full age range. Consideration was also given to improving classification agreement across different fitness assessments. Using test-equating methodologies, raw PACER scores were converted to estimated mile run times and then processed using the same mile run prediction equations. This procedure provides a way to improve classification agreement among the various fitness assessments. This presentation summarizes the development of the new gender- and age-specific aerobic fitness standards for the FITNESSGRAM program. The presentation will also describe the test-equating procedures used to establish matched standards for the mile run and the PACER test and summarize results from a large district-wide study to evaluate agreement in practice.
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