1. Problems and Issues in Fitness
Introduction to Physical Education, Fitness, and Sport
Chapter 9
Problems and Issues in Fitness

2. Life expectancy in the USA:
Introduction
Life expectancy in the USA:
Females: 80 yrs.
Males: 75 yrs.
Healthier older adults = reduced health
care cost.

3. Most modern work is sedentary . . . PA
Introduction
Most modern work is sedentary PA
has been squeezed out of daily life.
Healthier foods are more expensive . . .
Consequences:
A recipe for disaster.
Emergence of a $35,000,000,000
weight-loss industry.

4. The Cost of Inadequate Health Fitness
Historically, health and fitness were
viewed as personal responsibility.
It is now regarded a societal
responsibility as well.
Cost associated w. poor health fitness
makes up a significant portion of the
gross domestic product.

5. The Cost of Inadequate Health Fitness (Cont’d.)
Sample youth medical problems related
to overweight and obesity:
High blood pressure
Hypertension.
Type II Diabetes.
Orthopedic problems
Psychological/behavioral problems.

6. The Cost of Inadequate Health Fitness (Cont’d.)
Sample adult medical problems related to
overweight and obesity:
Hypertension.
Heart disease.
Stroke.
Osteoarthritis.
Sleep apnea.
Various types of cancer (e.g., colon cancer).

7. The Cost of Inadequate Health Fitness (Cont’d.)
Annual US Health care $1.5 trillion . . .
(expected to double in the next five years).
Obesity is now the 2nd leading cause
of death in the U.S

8. Precipitating Factors Related to Overweight and Obesity Crisis
What produces this energy imbalance??
Caloric
intake
Caloric
expenditure
vs.

9. The Cost of Inadequate Health Fitness (Cont’d.)
Higher caloric intake in youth a result
of:
Lower levels of PA.
Higher intake of high-energy foods.
Higher dietary fat.
Less in-home cooking.
More dependence on fast-food.
Higher non-nutritious content in food.
Larger portions.
School contracts w. food vendors.

10. The Cost of Inadequate Health Fitness (Cont’d.)
Lower caloric expenditure in youth A
result of:
A changed “built environment.”
Less walking.
More motor commuting.
Limited access to safe PA environments
(ie. parks and recreation spaces)
Increased time spent on Computers &
watching of TV.
Location of schools.
Reduced time in Physical Education.
Various types of cancer (ie. colon cancer).

11. The Cost of Inadequate Health Fitness (Cont’d.)
Parents’ perceptions of barriers to PA:
Transportation problems.
Lack of opportunities in immediate area.
Expense.
Parents’ lack of time.
Neighborhood safety.
From MMWR Weekly (2003)

12. Fitness Behavior: Short Term and Long Term
Becoming active vs. staying active . . .
WHAT IS NEEDED?:
Exercise in ways that are enjoyable,
Find activities that meet the needs and
interests of people,
Develop self-assessment of fitness skills,
Knowledge about fitness,
Fitness planning skills, and
Motivation . . .

13. Fitness Behavior: Short Term and Long Term (Cont’d.)
Prerequisite conditions for youth to
become attracted to PA (i.e., motivated):
Create opportunity to develop and demonstrate
competence in skill, fitness, or appearance,
Being accepted and supported by peers, and
significant others.
IT MUST BE FUN!

14. Developing a Fitness-Educated Public
For the nation’s population to become
more fit & healthy, it need to be more
educated about fitness.
To what extent does popular media help or hinder in this process?
Print?
TV?
Internet?

15. Developing a Fitness-Educated Public
(Cont’d.)
Problems created by the media:
Distorted images of fitness.
Perception that fitness can be achieved
quickly & without much effort.
Creation of celebrity experts without real
background.
From Skinner (1988)

16. Developing a Fitness-Educated Public
(Cont’d.)
Accurate and up-to-date knowledge is
essential for improving nation’s health.
Quality information is now more readily
available.
School Health and Physical Education
programs are the best venues . . .
Access for all!

17. Developing a Fitness-Educated Public
(Cont’d.)
If schools continue to reduce time in
Health and Physical Education, SES will
become a more dominant determinant
for fitness knowledge, and -skill
development.

18. Equity Issues in Fitness and Activity
(Cont’d.)
PA levels decline significantly through
adolescence.
Declines are more pronounced for girls,
especially African American girls . . .
Attention to girls’ PA patterns is a recent
trend.

19. Equity Issues in Fitness and Activity
(Cont’d.)
Girls’ PA patterns . . .What we do know:
Participation in Sport is at record levels.
MVPA levels outside of Sport are declining.
Girls PA is consistently lower than for boys.
Dropout from Sport is higher for girls.

20. Equity Issues in Fitness and Activity
(Cont’d.)
What are some conditions that need to be
created to help girls become/stay active?
. . . See also Boxes 9.1 and 9.2
Strong support from significant others.
Encouragement at an early age.
Equal access to safe and supportive programs,
facilities, and instruction.
Recognize/accept the multiple reasons for
participation.

21. Equity Issues in Fitness and Activity
(Cont’d.)
Opportunity for PA and fitness A
level playing field??
Those who are in most need, are more
disadvantaged i.e., have less access or
opportunity.
Removal of barriers is a structural problem.
Effective policies and programs are needed to
remove such barriers.

22. Certification of Fitness Leaders
Many exercise leaders are quite competent.
Some certification programs exist w.
varying levels of rigor and quality.
Unless public education on fitness
improves, demands for better
certification programs will likely not
increase.

23. Fitness Tests or Activity Estimates?
Inactivity is a key risk factor.
Value of moderate vs. vigorous activity?
PA level (process) may be a better
indicator of health fitness than fitness
tests (product).
Norm-referenced fitness testing is
counterproductive.

24. “People get older, because they slow down.”
Fitness and Aging: Changing Views and Expectations (Cont’d.)
Benefits of PA later in life include:
Improved physiological functioning (slowdown of
aging process).
Improved quality of life.
Lower levels of depression.
Again, SES is a powerful predictor of PA
later in life . . .
“People get older, because they slow down.”

25. Fitness Issues in Physical Education
Health-related Physical Education:
Promoting lifelong PA and fitness.
Programs should be targeting the skills,
knowledge, and confidence needed to
enjoy lifelong PA.
Frequency/time per week (the “dose” of
PA opportunity) has been reduced in
favor of academic subjects..

26. Fitness Issues in Physical Education
(cont’d.)
Health-related Physical Education:
Gone are calisthenics . . .
Focus on promoting PA beyond regular PE
classes (e.g., drop-in during unassigned
times; after-school).
Linking with what is available in the
surrounding community.
Fitness and PA: A school-wide
responsibility.