Physical fitness disparities among New York City public school youth using standardized methods, 2006-2017

Abstract

Standardized physical fitness monitoring provides a more accurate proxy for youth health when compared with physical activity. Little is known about the utilization of broad-scale individual-level youth physical fitness testing to explore health disparities. We examined longitudinal trends in population-level fitness for 4 th -12 th grade New York City youth during 2006/7-2016/17 (average n = 510,293 per year). Analyses were performed in 2019. The primary outcome was whether or not youth achieved sex-/age-specific performance levels (called the Healthy Fitness Zone) on the aerobic capacity, muscular strength and muscular endurance tests using the NYC FITNESSGRAM. The Cooper Institute's most recent Healthy Fitness Zone criteria were applied to all tests and years. Prevalence estimates were weighted, accounted for school clustering, adjusted for student-level sociodemographics, and run by sociodemographic subgroups and year. The overall prevalence for meeting 3 Healthy Fitness Zones increased from 15.5% (95%CI: 13.9%-17.0%) in 2006/7 to 23.3% (95%CI: 22.2%-24.4%) in 2016/17 for students in grades 4-12. Fitness for all student groups increased over time, although Hispanic and non-Hispanic black girls consistently had the lowest prevalence of meeting 3 Healthy Fitness Zones as compared to all other race/sex subgroups. Also, 9 th -12 th graders had a lower prevalence of meeting 3 Healthy Fitness Zones as compared to 4 th-8 th graders. Given forecasted sharp increases in cardiovascular disease prevalence, routine youth fitness surveillance using standardized, criterion referenced methods can identify important fitness disparities and inform interventions.

The association between student body mass index and tests of flexibility assessed by the FITNESSGRAM®: New York City public school students, 2017–18

“…Data for this study were drawn from the NYC FITNESSGRAM dataset [24,25] jointly managed by NYCDOE and NYCDOHMH for the 2017-18 school year (the most recent year available). This dataset included annual fitness assessment data collected by NYCDOE for 1,079,542 NYC public school students (grades kindergarten -12) [26].…”

“…The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), the largest and among the most racially/ethnically and socio-economically diverse school districts in the nation [23], uses the FITNESSGRAM1 annually to assess fitness among its approximately 1.1 million students. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC-DOHMH), which manages, analyzes, and reports on the NYCDOE's FITNESSGRAM1 data [24], has never reported on student trunk extension and sit-and-reach data, due to hypothesized potential weight-related biases with these tests. However, empirical evidence on the association between musculoskeletal flexibility test performance and student weight status is lacking.…”

Body Composition and Physical Fitness in Madeira Youth

“…Although different protocols were used in FITNESSGRAM and FITESCOLA, both batteries examine body composition, neuromuscular and cardiorespiratory fitness of youth participants [ 15 , 16 ] and, in addition, present age and sex-specific cut-off points. Appropriate levels of physical fitness in youth age ranges are associate with future health parameters [ 17 ] and, consequently, data of fitness indicators are commonly described in several countries [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. For example, cardiorespiratory fitness tended to decrease from 8 to 14 years old in Canadian males, whereas among girls grip strength decreased from 11 to 19 years old [ 20 ].…”

“…Data among American youth are not consistent. The prevalence of the highest level of fitness increased 7.8% in boys and girls aged 9–19 and longitudinally followed 2006–2017 [ 18 ]. In contrast, a survey of 192,848 participants aged 9–19 years old reported a trivial percentage (i.e., <13%) of participants that attained healthy fitness in six protocols included on FITNESSGRAM battery [ 19 ].…”

Predictors and Patterns of Physical Activity From Transportation Among United States Youth, 2007-2016

“…Lowincome youth are also less likely than higher income youth to participate in organized sports (70% vs. 88%) [9]. Low rates of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in nonwhite and lowincome youth predict significant disparities in youth healthrelated physical fitness by race and income [10].…”