Purpose: The authors assessed common content knowledge of health-related fitness in a national representative sample of preservice physical education teachers in the United States. Methods: Six hundred and twenty-one preservice physical education teachers from 68 physical education teacher education (PETE) programs located in different regions in…

Most people are aware of the important influence that physical activity has on health outcomes and quality of life, and it has become increasingly important to be able to determine how much physical activity individuals participate in on a regular basis so that tracking of behavior change can occur and individual or population interventions can be…

Because of the perceived lack of youth physical fitness and/or concerns for increased obesity, physical education teachers are interested in youth fitness and physical activity levels. Statewide mandates are being developed that require school-based teachers to complete physical fitness testing. Data from the nationally representative School…

Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and some cancers. Approximately 950,000 Americans die annually from cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine whether American adults know which traditional and lifestyle physical activities affect…

The current state of physical fitness in American youth is unknown. While evidence exists that obesity levels are increasing in children and youth, data on declines in physical fitness measures (i.e., cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness) are lacking. Tracking of physical fitness components has been poorly done. Surveillance of behaviors…