As presidential fitness test returns for students, so do old questions

WASHINGTON — The presidential fitness test, a divisive hallmark of children’s education from the 1960s to the 2010s, is back as part of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign to promote youth health and combat chronic disease.

Experts on youth physical activity say it’s just one positive step toward getting children active, not the solution, in combating the rise of sedentary lifestyles among children. The experts STAT spoke with said that measuring fitness should be paired with additional strategies to capture children’s interest in exercise and keep it — and avoid creating unpleasant associations with physical activity.

“The bottom line is that measuring fitness does not create fitness,” Avery Faigenbaum, professor of health and exercise science at the College of New Jersey, told STAT.

“Fitness testing is sort of a double-edged sword,” he continued. “We can identify children who need intervention … [but] this kind of testing can be embarrassing and can turn people off from physical activity.”

Kennedy announced the structure of the new test at a flashy event in Atlantic City on Monday, alongside WWE star Paul Levesque, known as Triple H. It follows an executive order signed last year by the president that revitalized the test, discontinued in 2012, and propped up a White House task force chaired by professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau with Levesque as vice chair.

Compared to previous iterations of the test, not much has changed: It includes a timed run, an upper-body strength test, and a core test, with benchmarks set by a child’s age and gender. All participating children receive certificates, congratulating them on participation or meeting those goals.

HHS has said a number of states have agreed to include the test in their schools’ curriculum, though officials did not specify which states.

Experts have long agreed that children are getting more sedentary, likely driven by access to screens and time constraints on parents. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that in 2023, only about 1 in 4 students met the daily 60-minute physical activity recommendation, a troubling trend amid rising obesity rates and positive associations between physical activity and academic success.

Over the years, various administrations have stepped in to tackle the problem: In the 1960s, Presidents John F. Kennedy and then Lyndon B. Johnson pushed for a physical fitness program nationwide, establishing an award for exceptional achievement. During the Obama administration, officials phased out the test in favor of a more flexible youth fitness program.

Kennedy on Monday said the decision to end the test was a mistake. “We literally have the sickest population in the world,” he told NewsNation.

Relaunching the test, paired with a new website to encourage participation, gives “parents, schools, and communities the tools to help children build healthy habits, strengthen their bodies, and discover what they’re capable of achieving,” he said in a statement.

Youth physical activity experts who spoke with STAT applaud the secretary’s work to bring attention to increasing movement among children and say the new test has some meaningful indicators, incorporating a focus on both strength and cardiovascular fitness.

But some experts worry that the focus on specific physical-activity benchmarks could turn some kids off exercise.

In a 2018 survey of more than 1,000 participants across the U.S., published in the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, researchers found an association between negative memories of physical activity in school and sedentary habits later in life.

“The worst experiences that people tend to report are something having to do with embarrassment. That was the leading indicator. A lot of people felt that with the old [presidential fitness] test, which, unfortunately, shares a lot of similarities with the new one,” study co-author Matthew Ladwig, assistant professor of integrative human health at Purdue University Northwest, told STAT.

When asked by NewsNation how to avoid harming children’s self-esteem, Kennedy said, “Failure is a part of life,” and noted that WWE stars, like Triple H, have lost fights and still “stand back up and fight again.” (WWE fights are scripted.)

Ladwig said the type of failure matters: “When failure is private, supported, and framed as progress, it can be motivating,” he said.

Fitness testing can be a valuable tool for some students, especially those who are athletic and competitive. However, it can also come with a certain level of pressure and potential embarrassment, as failures are often public and witnessed by peers. This can be a challenging aspect of fitness testing, as it may discourage some students from participating or trying their best.

According to Adam Annaccone, a clinical associate professor in kinesiology at the University of Texas at Arlington, fitness testing can be motivating for certain individuals, but it is important to pair it with a comprehensive education on healthy living. This includes youth physical-activity programs that are multimodal, focusing on cardiovascular fitness, strength, and balance. It is essential for children to have access to safe, noncompetitive activities, such as recess in schools, and positive role models like parents.

One key aspect of successful fitness testing and physical activity programs for children is making sure they are enjoyable and entertaining. Dr. Faigenbaum emphasizes the importance of making exercise fun for kids, as they are more likely to engage and continue participating in physical activities if they enjoy them. Without this element of enjoyment, children may be less motivated to stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

In order to promote physical activity and healthy living among children, it is crucial to create programs that are not only beneficial for their physical health but also engaging and entertaining. By incorporating fun and enjoyable activities into fitness testing and physical education programs, we can encourage children to stay active and develop lifelong habits of health and wellness.