PHYSICAL FITNESS AND NUTRITION

To assess physical fitness, this indicator reports data from the California Physical Fitness Test on the percent of 5th grade students who are classified as having health risk due to their aerobic capacity. For nutrition, this indicator reports the proportion of youth (ages 2 to 17) who ate fast food one or more times in the past week and ate less than two fruit servings in the past day.

Both physical fitness and nutrition are essential to achieving and keeping a healthy weight.1 The habitual intake of too many calories, including from the consumption of sugary beverages, without enough physical fitness, can result in obesity. Those who eat a nutritious diet rich in fruits and vegetables and/or incorporate aerobic physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness into a daily routine are less likely to develop many types of disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and oral disease.2,3 Additionally, these behaviors, when developed at a younger age, are associated with similar behaviors in adulthood.4

• During the 2014/15 school year, 5.3% (1,925) of 5th graders tested were classified “at health risk due to aerobic capacity,” down

9.0% from 2013/2014 (5.8% or 2,113) and lower than California at 6.5% of 5th graders.

• The percent of 5th graders at health risk due to aerobic capacity was highest among Pacific Islander 5th graders (13.6%), followed by American Indian (8.7%), Hispanic (7.7%), Black (6.6%), Filipino (4.9%), Multiracial (3.7%), White (2.9%) and Asian (2.3%) 5th graders.

• According to the 2 013/14 California Health Interview Survey: – 77.8% of children (2 to 17 years old) reported eating fast food one or more times in the past week, an increase of 5.4% from 73.8% in 2011. – 41.2% of children (2 to 17 years old) reported eating less than two fruit servings the previous day, an increase of 26.0% from 32.7% in 2011.

California Physical Fitness Test uses the Cooper Institute’s FITNESSGRAM approach to classify 5th graders aerobic capacity at health risk when their V02max, a measure of maximum oxygen consumption, fell within certain limits after participation in structured aerobic exercises, such as the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER), one-mile run, or walk test, which deemed them at likely risk for future health problems. The definition of aerobic capacity categories was recently modified to improve classification agreement between the PACER and one-mile run approaches. Because of these adjustments, California Physical Fitness Test data collected prior to the 2013/14 school year are not comparable to those collected under the current standards.

Percent of Children Ages 2 to 17 Years Old who Ate Fast Food One or More Times in the Past Week

Percent of Children Ages 2 to 17 Years Old who Ate Less than Two Fruit Servings the Previous Day