The Role of Physical Activity Assessments for School‐Based Physical Activity Promotion

Abstract

The emphasis in public health on lifestyle physical activity in recent years has focused attention on the promotion of lifetime physical activity as the primary objective of physical education. If used properly, physical activity and physical fitness assessments can enhance individual promotion of physical activity and also provide valuable outcome measures to facilitate home and community support for physical education. This article describes the importance of comprehensive evaluation of physical education and emphasizes the importance of including assessments of both physical activity and physical fitness for promoting physical activity. Effective evaluation practices are needed to optimize the effectiveness of physical education programming.

Key words:

• Assessment
• children
• physical education

Notes

¹The development of the Professional Process Model is credited to Charles B. Corbin and is used here to acknowledge his many contributions to the field of youth fitness promotion and his mentorship of the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gregory J. Welk

Dr. Welk serves as the Scientific Director of the FITNESSGRAM® program. The positions taken in the report are not considered to be the position of the FITNESSGRAM® Advisory Board or the Cooper Institute.