Implementation of a statewide policy mandating school-based fitness assessment screening, Georgia: 2018
Department
Health Promotion and Physical Education
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1-2020
Abstract
© 2020 American Public Health Association Inc.. All rights reserved. Objectives. To evaluate the statewide implementation of childhood fitness assessment and reporting in Georgia. Methods. We collected survey data from 1683 (919 valid responses from a random-digit-dialed survey and 764 valid responses from a Qualtrics panel) parents of public school students in Georgia in 2018. Results. Most parents reported that their child participated in fitness assessments at school, yet only 31% reported receiving results. If a child was identified as needing improvement, parents were significantly more likely to change the diet and exercise of both the child and the family. Conclusions. A state-level mandatory fitness assessment for children may be successful in state-level surveillance of fitness levels; parental awareness of the policy, receipt of the fitness assessment information, and action on receiving the screening information require more efforts in implementation.
Journal Title
American Journal of Public Health
Journal ISSN
00900036
Volume
110
Issue
10
First Page
1564
Last Page
1566
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.2105/AJPH.2020.305834