Method: Data for the 5th, 7th, and 9th grade students was retrieved for the years 1999, 2006, 2011 and 2013. Analyses for differences in percent of students in the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) were conducted using ANOVAs with Tukey follow-up comparisons. Ethnicity and sex are voluntarily reported by participants on the FITNESSGRAM forms. Close to 1 million youth FITNESSGRAM forms were recorded in 1999 and over 1.3 million in 2013.
Analysis/Results: Many significant differences and interactions between grades, sex and ethnicity across the years emerged. Analyses indicate that 9th graders had fewer students in the HFZ for aerobic capacity then the 7th or 5th which were not different. Males had a significantly higher percentage in the HFZ than females for all grades over all years. For body composition opposite findings emerged, 9th graders had a higher percentage of students in the HFZ than the 7th or 5th which were not different. Males were lower for body composition then females for all grades over all years. Ethnicity analyses revealed that the Asian and Caucasian populations had higher percentages of students in the HFZ then the other ethnic groups across all grades and years. The differences in ethnicity appear to be widening.
Conclusions: Differences exist for sex and ethnicity across grades over time for both aerobic capacity and body composition. The trustworthiness of the body composition measure is discussed. Suggestions and directions based on these findings for physical education curricula are considered. Certainly a need exits for further longitudinal monitoring of fitness level trends, including sex and ethnicity, in American youth. Comparisons to other demographical regions nationwide and worldwide are suggested.