PETS 1

Development of Physical Education Tracking Systems (PETS) Amanda J. Sheldon Masters Project ESS699 Special Projects in Exercise and Sport Sciences Spring 2005 (3 Credits) Department of Exercise & Sport Sciences University of Miami

PETS 2

Development of a Physical Education Tracking System (PETS) Objective The primary goal of an enhanced physical education program is to incorporate healthy behaviors that will be maintained throughout a lifetime. Information gathered at

Nautilus Middle School is intended to be used in laying the groundwork for such a program. Introduction Currently, there is no standardized tracking system to monitor the short- and long-term progress and effectiveness of physical education programs. Given the range of

variables potentially impacted by physical education, it is incumbent upon educators to develop a feasible tracking system to monitor correlates of physical fitness and nutrient intake with academic performance, absenteeism, quality of life and body image. This information relative

to gender and race/ethnicity is also of interest. Our primary purpose is to compose a spreadsheet database compiling a range of measurements which can be used as a tool for tracking and monitoring aforementioned variables on all students throughout our school system. A secondary purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among

PETS 3 aforementioned variables to see if these relationships differ by gender and race/ethnicity. There is little questioning that overweight and obesity in young people is fast becoming an epidemic. The prevalence of overweight has tripled among 12 to 17 year olds (Ogden et al., 2002). Currently, the latest statistic from the CDC, October 6, 2004, states that 16% of teenagers are overweight or obese (CDC: NCHS, 2004). The 1999-2002 data on children show: Non-Hispanic black (21 percent) and Mexican-American adolescents (23 percent) ages 12-19 were more likely to be overweight than non-Hispanic white adolescents (14 percent). Mexican-American children ages 6-11 were more likely to be overweight (22 percent) than non-Hispanic black children (20 percent) and non-Hispanic white children (14 percent). In addition to the 16 percent of children and teens ages 6 to 19 who were overweight in 1999-2002, another 15 percent were considered at risk of becoming overweight (a BMI-for-age between the 85th and 95th percentiles). (CDC: NCHS, 2004). Overweight and obesity in young people has been shown to lead to an increased risk for mortality, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and Type II Diabetes Mellitus (Calderon et al., 2005). Additionally, the effect of

PETS 4 obesity on educational attainment is greatly understudied. In order to develop a strong intervention, it would first be important to identify which variables need improvement, and which variables are strong correlates of fitness and obesity. A tracking system will enable us to examine this.

Finally, there is limited research examining differences in the aforementioned variables by gender and race/ethnicity. Results gathered are expected to vary

according to gender and race/ethnicity. Through identification of results according to gender and ethnicity, one can also develop stronger future intervention programs. Implementation of a strong intervention is dependent upon a solid tracking system and examination of variables that need greater attention. Research Methods & Procedures Participants & Measurements Participants included 7th and 8th grade Physical Education (PE) students at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach, FL. Physical fitness (FitnessGRAM) testing is performed on all 7th and 8th grade physical education students by Nautilus Physical Education teachers during the fall 2004 school semester. The FitnessGRAM is from The Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Texas and is now the Physical Education standard for all schools in Miami-

PETS 5 Dade County. These tests are conducted by Physical

Education teachers as part of their regular requirements for class. The results of the FitnessGRAM provide a measure of students fitness level and will be used as baseline data upon which future measurements will be compared. Inclusion Criteria Physical Education class is offered as an elective to all 7th and 8th grade students at Nautilus Middle School. Therefore, only students taking it as an elective were included in the study. Participation in the study was done on a passive agreement basis. Any students who objected to

participating in the study were excused from doing so with no prejudice. Additional Measurements In addition, the Physical Education teachers distributed the following surveys: a) Demographic, b)

Physical Activity (PA), c) Nutritional Habits (NH) and d) Quality of Life (QL), e) Body Image Satisfaction (BIS). Students were asked to answer all questions carefully and honestly. All participants were asked to fill out their surveys on an individual basis and to refrain from discussing the questions or answers with other students until all surveys were collected. Survey proctors were available if students had questions or difficulty with any

PETS 6 of the survey questions. It was explained to students that all of their survey answers were anonymous and confidential and that they would not be judged or graded on their answers. (The survey grades referenced hereto forth are solely for the purposes of communication in writing this paper and were not disclosed to individual students.) Furthermore, University of Miami investigators assisted physical education teachers in obtaining a) resting heart rate, b) blood pressure, and c) waist circumference measurement. These measurements are

anticipated to become components of the required Physical Education Curriculum Physical Education Tracking System (PETS). Records of Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test

(FCAT) scores and absenteeism were provided by the physical education teacher at the end of the semester. The Florida

Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is part of Floridas overall plan to increase student achievement by implementing higher standards. The FCAT, administered to students in Grades 3-11, consists of criterion-referenced tests (CRT) in mathematics, reading, science, and writing, which measure student progress toward meeting the Sunshine State Standards (SSS) benchmarks (FDOE, 2005). All testing and data collection to be integrated into the database

PETS 7 tracking system was done during the Physical Education class period. Design The University of Miami investigators met with the, Principal of Nautilus Middle School and the Executive Director of Life Skills and Special Projects for Miami-Dade Schools, as well as the Nautilus Middle School Physical Education teacher, to ensure good collaborative efforts between the University of Miami and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) in the development of this tracking system. FCAT scores and absenteeism are normally recorded at Nautilus Middle School. As previously mentioned, this information was made available to University of Miami investigators to incorporate into the tracking system for data analysis. All other information, including the survey

questionnaires: a) Demographic, b) Physical Activity, c) Nutritional Habits and d) Quality of Life, e) Body Image Satisfaction; FitnessGRAM; and resting heart rate, blood pressure, and waist circumference measurement were gathered as part of the current physical education curriculum with all information being obtained during PE classes.

PETS 8 Risk Assessment The research participants were not exposed to any risks outside of what they typically encounter when they normally perform FitnessGRAM physical fitness tests. tests include measures of aerobic capacity, muscular/strength endurance, flexibility, and body composition. Measurements of resting heart rate, blood pressure and waist circumference, and completion of surveys did not pose any risk to the students. This information will be of benefit because it enables us to focus on variables outside of the normal range and facilitate development of a future intervention targeting improvement in those variables. A small number of students may have felt bored in completing the questionnaires, but the potential benefit far outweighed this risk. All information and questionnaires have been assessed and approved by Dr. Welker, Principal, Nautilus Middle School and Dr. Jayne Greenberg, Executive Director of Life Skills and Special Projects for Miami-Dade Schools. In addition to receiving information students normally receive from the FitnessGRAM, students also received information on their heart rate, blood pressure, waist circumference, and survey questions. This may also help to motivate them to be more involved in their physical These

PETS 9 education activities. Furthermore, by quantitatively analyzing the results of the testing, we will be able to create a standardized tracking system which may be used to target specific interventions in the future. It might also be beneficial to see how one school tracks information relevant to students health and fitness, and how it opens the doors for other schools wishing to implement the same type of tracking system. There was no additional risk in this research since participants were engaging in activities typically encountered in their PE program. All additional information was non-invasive and adds to the information provided for each student. Informed Consent By virtue of students electing to take Physical Education classes, the parents had agreed to allow their children to participate in the Physical Education program as conducted by Nautilus Middle School. A passive waiver was sent hometo the parents of students attending Nautilus Middle Schoolinforming them of the information to be gathered during the current physical education curriculum. The waiver also explained the collaborative work being performed in conjunction with the University of Miami, in evaluating the results. If the parent did not wish to have

PETS 10 their child involved in activities that are part of the current physical education curriculum, they provided a written note to the teacher saying so, and their child was be exempt from the said activities. That is, parents had the right not to have their children participate if they so chose. Statistical Analysis All surveys questions were scored independently, and then a total score was also tallied for each survey, except demographic surveys. Exploratory factor analysis was performed using SPSS to create a correlation matrix. Calculations using the Pearson coefficient were made to identify and evaluate significant relationships between variables. The physical activity (PA) survey had five questions each with a range of 0-4 (total range 0-20; PAT) points: weekly vigorous physical activity (PA1), weekly leisure physical activity (PA2), daily after-school screen time (i.e. TV, video games, and computer) (PA3), non-school day screen time (PA4), and weekly participation in structured physical activity such as sports, dance, martial arts and other structured exercise(PA5). The nutritional habits survey had ten questions each with a range of 0-4 (total range 0-40; NHT) points:

PETS 11 breakfast frequency (NH1), lunch frequency on school days (NH2), lunch frequency on weekend days (NH3), high-sugar beverage consumption (NH4), dairy consumption* (NH5), dairy consumption fat percentage (NH6), fruit juice consumption (NH7), eating out at restaurants (NH8), fruit consumption* (NH9) and vegetable consumption* (NH10). The quality of life surveys contained four groups of questions for a total range of 0-92 (QLT). The question groups consisted of health and activities (QL1) ranging from 0-32 points; and feelings (QL2), peers (QL3), and academics (QL4), each with a range of 0-20. The body image satisfaction survey score was a result of the difference in the sizes of two images of bodysilhouette figures. Students were shown two identical rows of body-silhouette figures appearing in gradually increasing increments of bodyweight. In the first row students were asked to choose the figure which most closely matched their own body-silhouette. In the second row students were asked to choose the figure which most closely matched the body-silhouette they would like to have. Students were informed that they had the option of choosing either the same or a different figure for the second row.
*

Highest points were awarded for ideal number of servings consumed according to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid recommendation. Fewer points were awarded for consuming less and/or more than the recommendation.

PETS 12 Body image satisfaction scores range from 0-80. Because, a lower difference of scores was indicative of higher body satisfaction, scores were transposed for data analysis. Ultimately, for all surveys, a higher score indicated a healthier presence of the factor that was being measured. For example high consumption of high-sugar beverages received low points, whereas daily consumption of breakfast received maximum points. At least 90% of the questions for each survey must have been answered for it to be included in the data analysis. Students total survey scores were tallied and categorized into four possible grades: A (Excellent), B (Good), C (Fair) and D (Poor). For example, on the physical activity (PA) survey, if a student had a high amount of screen time, the total score could be improved if the student also engaged in high amount of physical activity, thus resulting in a better total physical activity (PAT) grade. Likewise, if a student had a high amount of soft drink consumption, the total nutritional habits (NHT) score could be improved if the student also consumed the daily recommended servings of vegetables, with the outcome of a better NHT grade.

PETS 13 Results Demographics & Anthropometrics Two hundred and one 7th and 8th grade Nautilus physical education students returned surveys. Gender distribution was 68.6% male and 31.4% female. Results of the demographic surveys found that 36% of the students were born in the United States. Ethnicity of students was self-identified as 13.4% white, 7.0% black, 67.9% Hispanic, 6.4% Indian/Asian, and 5.3% mixed or other ethnicity. Approximately 24% of students had parents who were both born in the United States. Of students parents born outside the US: 34% were born in South America, 14% were born in Cuba, 9% in Central America, 3.5% in the Caribbean, 1.6% in Mexico, and the remainder elsewhere. Of the FitnessGRAM BMI scores for the students, 52.6% were underweight (BMI<20), 36.4% were normal weight (BMI 20-25), 9.2% were overweight (BMI 25-30), and 1.7% obese (BMI>30). Overview of Surveys The mean scores for the surveys were as follows: PAT= 10, NHT=27, QLT=74 and BIS=10. The distribution of scores and grades are outlined in Tables 1A-D. Overall, PAT scores showed a significant positive correlation with NHT scores, r(184)=.20, p<0.01. Additionally, there was a positive

PETS 14 correlation of QLT scores and NHT scores, r(182)=.30, p<0.001. Physical activity survey Further analysis of the PA survey questions revealed that 38.8% of physical education (PE) students engage in vigorous physical activity (outside of PE classes) more than 5 days a week, while 13.3% engage in vigorous physical activity on one or less days per week (PA1). When PE students were asked about daily after-school screen time (PA3), more than 15.7% of students reported engaging in approximately 8 hours of daily after-school screen time, 23% reported 4.5 hours of screen time, 44% of students reported 2.5 hours of screen time, and 16.8% of students reported less than one hour of daily after-school screen time. On non-school days, 26.3% of students reported 3 hours or less spent on screen time (PA4). Over thirtyfive percent engaged in an average of 5.5 hours screen time, 24.2% engaged in 9.5 hours, 7.5% in 13.5 hours, and 6.5% in excess of 16 hours. Males engaged in 24% less after-school screen time than males. Hispanics had 40% less after-school screen time than whites, and whites had 13% less than blacks. Finally, students were asked about their regular participation in sports, classes (i.e. dance, boxing,

PETS 15 martial arts), or other structured exercise (PA5). More than forty percent of students reported no participation in sports or structured exercise, 23.8% participated 1-2 times a week, 18.9% participated 3-4 times per week, and 16.7% participated approximately 6 times per week. Students with higher frequency of vigorous physical activity (PA1) had lower amount of screen time both afterschool (PA3), r(182)=.01, p>0.05, and on non-school days (PA4), r(184)=.01, p=0.001. Additionally, when this relationship was examined according to ethnicity, it was greatest in the Hispanic population (after-school r(123)=.24, p>0.01 and non-school days r(124)=.28, p=0.001). However, within genders, PA1 correlated to PA4 only among males, r(126)=.28, p=0.001. Nutritional habits survey Over 56% of students reported eating breakfast nearly every day, and an additional 19% ate breakfast on most days of the week. Of the 24.8% students who did not eat breakfast on most days, nearly half of those (10.8%) ate breakfast on less than one day each week. Lunch consumption was reported on most weekdays by 84.5% of students, and on Saturday and Sunday by 93% of students. Over 30% of students reported drinking in excess of 6 sweetened or juice beverages daily, more than 50% reported consuming 2-5

PETS 16 servings daily, only and 19% consumed one or less servings daily. Ideal dairy consumption (NH5), of three servings daily, was reported by nearly 17% of students. Twenty-five percent of students consumed one serving of dairy products daily, and almost 11% did not consume any. More than half (53.6%) of students consumed 1-2 servings of fruit daily (NH9). Ideal fruit consumption of 3-4 servings dailywas reported by 24% of students, and 13% did not consume any fruit on a daily basis. Only 13.7% of students reported consuming the USDA recommended 4-5 servings of vegetables daily (NH 10), and more than 25% reported eating no vegetables at all. Quality of life survey Our quality of life surveys revealed that approximately 75% of students experience an excellent (A) quality of life in regard to health/activity, yet only 48% experience excellent academic quality of life. On the other hand, the frequency of good (B) quality of life was 34% for academic and only 20% for health/activity. Body image satisfaction survey Body image satisfaction was extremely high among the PE students at 95%. Females had higher BIS than males by approximately 10%. Black students had the highest BIS

PETS 17 followed by Indian/Asian, followed by Hispanic, followed by white students. Correlations & Relationships Correlations between all variables, except gender, were considered significant at p<0.01, p=0.001, or p<0.001. Correlations for gender were considered significant at p<0.05, unless otherwise noted. Primary bivariate correlations are shown in Table 2. Demographic correlates Several correlations within gender were noted to be significant at p<0.05. Leisure physical activity (PA2) at r(178)=.18 was higher in females. Males had higher ideal dairy consumption (NH5) at r(176)=.19. Incidence of limited juice consumption (NH7) at r(175)=.18 and quality of life among peers (QL3) at r(176)=.15 was higher among females. There was a significant correlation among females who engaged in regular vigorous physical activity (PA1) and who performed an increased number of push-ups (FGP) r(47)=.29 p<0.05. This same correlation was not significant in males. However, as expected, the sole variable of male gender alone did correlate to an ability to perform an increased number of push ups over females, regardless of PA1 level. (r(167)=.30 p<0.001).

PETS 18 There were only two significant correlations attributed to race/ethnicity. One was between race/ethnicity and eating out at restaurants (NH8), r(177)=.21, p<0.01, and the other between race/ethnicity and NHT, r(184)=.22, p<0.01. Physical activity & nutritional habits correlates A considerable correlation was noted between regular physical activity (PA1) and daily consumption of fruit (NH9) and vegetables (NH10), r(180)=.24, p=0.001 and r(179)=.26, p<0.001 respectively. Students with lower hours of either after-school (PA3) or non-school day (PA4) screen time had a significantly higher NHT score, r(181)=.29, p<0.001 and r(184)=.24, p=0.001, respectively. There was also an important correlation discovered between low screen time (PA4) and decreased high-sugar beverage consumption (NH4), r(179)=.27, p<.001). A significant negative correlation was recognized between regular participation sports, classes (dance, boxing, martial arts), or other structured exercise (PA5) and low fruit juice consumption (NH7), r(178)=.24, p=0.001. That is, higher fruit juice consumption was seen with a higher participation in structured exercise. However, a higher PA5 score also correlated positively with a healthy consumption of vegetables (NH10), r(177)=.30, p<.001.

PETS 19 Students who consumed the daily recommended servings of vegetables had also had higher PAT scores. Specifically, as students NH10 score approached ideal consumption of daily recommended servings of vegetables, their PAT score increased, r(178)=.32, p<.001. Quality of life correlates There was a positive correlation of low consumption of high-sugar beverages (NH4) with high quality of life in health & activities (QL1), r(179)=.21, p<0.01, and academics (QL4), r(179)=.22, p<0.01. Additionally, QL4 also correlated positively with NHT, r(182)=.19, p<0.01. Eighty two percent of females scored an A grade in quality of life in relating to their peers, but an A grade was scored by only 68% of males. Body image satisfaction correlates A positive correlation was distinguished between students with high body image satisfaction (BIS) and high quality of life in school work (QL4), r(165)=.21, p<0.01. It was further recognized that students with high BIS also had lower body fat (BF), r(149)=.26, p=0.001. FitnessGRAM correlates Current standards for FitnessGRAM Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) standards are outlined in Table 3. Nautilus PE students mile run times, means and ranges are shown in

PETS 20 Table 4. Several survey variables showed relationships with FitnessGRAM measurements. Students with faster mile run times (FGM) had higher NHT scores, r(163)=.21, p<0.01. Students with higher push-up (FGP) scores also scored higher on survey items PA1 (r(157)=.21, p<0.01) and PA5 (r(155)=.21, p<0.01). Interestingly, students with higher trunk-lift (FGT) scores showed a negative correlation with ideal vegetable consumption (NH10), r(159)=.24, p<0.01. An examination for correlations of FitnessGRAM variables to each other revealed that students with faster mile-run times (FGM), also had higher push up (FGP) scores r(166)=.34, p<0.001, lower BMIs, r(171)=.21, p<0.01, and lower body fat, r(171)=.22, p<0.01. In addition, students number of push-ups completed correlated positively to number of curl-ups (FGC) completed, r(167)=.29, p<0.001; and higher push-up number also correlated to lower body fat, r(167)=.26, p<0.001. As anticipated, there was a positive correlation between BMI and body fat percentage, r(172)=.51, p<0.001. Academic correlates Due to unforeseen circumstances, during the course of this project student FCAT scores, along with records of resting heart rate, blood pressure, and waist circumference were destroyed. Retrieval of the FCAT scores was attempted

PETS 21 through the Nautilus Middle School administration and to date has been unsuccessful due to the passage of time and to confidentiality issues. Records of resting heart rate, blood pressure, and waist circumference were also, obviously, utterly unable to be re-attained. Therefore, regretfully, only absentee data was available for analysis. Absentee data revealed three noteworthy correlations: 1) students with lower rates of absenteeism (AB) also had greater rates of leisurely physical activity (PA2), r(166)=.20, p<0.01; 2) absentee rate was lower if students reported eating lunch on a greater number of weekend days (NH3), r(164)=.29, p<.001; and 3) low absenteeism was seen with a high quality of life in academics (QL4), r(164)=.31, p<.001. Discussion The broad purpose of this project was to create a foundation for the future design and implementation of a Physical Education Tracking System (PETS). These preliminary analyses summon the endeavor to further examine the relationships between physical activity, nutritional habits, quality of life, body image satisfaction, fitness level and absenteeism. The high Hispanic student population at Nautilus Middle School68% versus 11% nationally (U.S. Bureau of the

PETS 22 Census, 1991)was expected to suggest a reasonable influence of race/ethnicity on variable correlation outcomes, and we found some modest evidence to support this. The influential role of race that was seen with frequency of eating out at restaurants was noted to have the highest frequency among black students. Incidentally, black students also had the highest rate of overweight (25.0%) and obesity (8.3%). It is well known that there is a link between increased frequency of eating out at restaurants and overweight and obesity. (Olsen & Bonow, 2005) Still, we did not find a significant relationship of increased NH8 and BMI or BF and within ethnic groups, as might be expected. The highest NHT grades were seen in Indian/Asian students (A, 42%), followed by Hispanic students (A, 38%), Whites (A, 29%), and Blacks (A, 15%). The high underweight population of Nautilus physical education students is in sharp contrast to the epidemic problem seen today with overweight and obesity of children in United States. This may be somewhat attributable to the growth spurt that occurs at the same age ( = 13) as the students in our study (KidsHealth.org, 1995). This may also be due to the potential for children to be lacking balanced nutrition in lower income households (USDHHS, 2004; Goodman et al., 2003). The 35% of households in the same zip code

PETS 23 as Nautilus Middle School have an income under $30,000, but household incomes within the schools residential boundaries are believed to be lower. On the other hand, the school does provide free and/or low-cost breakfast and lunch programs for 65% of Nautilus studentson a household income sliding scaleand this would be expected to help offset any issues of poor nutrition due to lack of income. Black students had the lowest underweight (42%) population as well as the lowest breakfast (33%) and lunch eating (75%) population. As mentioned, this ethnic group had the highest incidence of overweight and obesity which may suggest that these students are substituting unhealthy choices such as junk food and sodas for nutritionally sound meals. It is also known that eating breakfast contributes to a healthy normal weight (Timlin et al., 2008). Interestingly, the highest frequencies of both normal weight (41%) and breakfast consumption (61%) were seen in the Hispanic population. The correlations between PAT and NHT support the idea that increased physical activity and healthy nutritional habits support each other (AHA, 2005).It also suggests that students who are more physically active have more exposure to and understanding of the importance of healthy nutrition. It is likely of no coincidence that the PE curriculum at

PETS 24 Nautilus Middle School includes a didactic component on both fitness and nutrition. The correlation found between NHT and QTL reinforces the current understanding that, much like a drug, food and quality of nutritional intake directly influence mood, attitude and performance on a daily basis. (Taras, 2005) The information drawn from the PA surveys reveals that an encouraging number of students, nearly 40%, participate in daily physical activity above and beyond their PE classes. According to the CDC, children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity each day (2008). Although this number could be improved upon, it is considerable when added to the amount of activity students do engage in during their PE classes (NCCDPHP, 2005). (Classes are scheduled on an odd/even day rotation and students attend PE class for one hour and forty-five minutes every other day: i.e. odd or even days, depending on their individual schedules.) Additionally, the link between physical activity and screen time-especially among ethnicity and gender-should be further explored, as this may help lead to the development of strategies for increasing physical activity in high risk populations. One possibility could include a campaign with directives that encourage students to turn of the screen and get onto the

PETS 25 green. Namely, turning off the electronics and getting out onto the grass to play. Daily breakfast consumption and ideal fruit consumption by more than half of the students (56% and 53.6%, respectively) was also highly encouraging. The

excessive consumption of high-sugar beverages is of concern, as there were significant correlations between this and increased screen time, as well as with lower quality of life in health/activities. Also, troubling is the lack of ideal vegetable consumption by more than 86% of students, as research has shown that nutrients and fiber found in cruciferous vegetables prevent cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity (USDA, 2005). As with the correlations between physical activity and screen time, both of these factors were also important in relationships to nutritional habits. Further evidence can be gleaned here in support of initiatives for promoting reductions in students screen time. Although casualty cannot be inferred from these findings, legitimate questions can be raised. Does screen time reduction improve a students chances of increasing his or her physical activity? Does increased physical activity promote increased vegetable consumption and/or generally healthier nutritional habits; and if so, how? Does excessive screen

PETS 26 time promote excess consumption of high-sugar beverage and generally poorer nutritional habits? Ideal dairy consumption was noted in less than 17% of students. On the basis of the high Hispanic population, it seemed reasonable to attribute low dairy intake lack of media and educational pressurefor children to consume milkin foreign cultures versus American culture. However when milk consumption was correlated to parents place of birth, the percentage of students with ideal milk consumption and foreign born parents actually exceeded that of students with US born parents by nearly twice as much (19% vs. 10%). When examining the demographics according to gender, males had a higher occurrence of ideal milk consumption (20%) than females (11%); but more females limited daily juice consumption to one serving per day than males (28% vs. 16%). Conversely, although some healthy nutritional habits were greater in students who participated in structured sports or exercise, these students also exhibited a higher tendency to consume excessive amounts of fruit juice. This may be attributable to a misrepresentation by media advertising leading our youth to trust that drinking excessive fruit juice is healthy and will help to improve sport and exercise performance. Also interesting was that

PETS 27 this trend, although significant within both genders, was slightly higher among males (p=0.011 vs. p=0.035). Furthermore, this supports the idea of the influence of media advertising as male audiences remain the primary target audience of sports related marketing (McGinnis et al., 2006). The potential influence of high-sugar beverage intake on quality of life in both health/activities and academics is intriguing as it is anecdotally acknowledged, but still poorly understood. It is likewise interesting that students who scored an academic higher quality of life also scored higher NHT and BIS grades. The interconnectedness of these variables begs additional exploration. Support in favor of nutritional habits playing a role in human performance and fitness level can be extracted from the correlation between mile run time and general nutritional habits. Forty-four percent of students with mile run times under ten minutes scored an A NHT grade, where as only 31% of students with higher mile run times scored an A NHT grade. When considering the numerous correlations revealed between these and other physical activity factors, additional confirmation is provided of the importance of healthy nutrition in human performance

PETS 28 and fitness level. There was a single incongruity noted of increased trunk lift (FGT) score showing a relationship to decreased vegetable consumption. This likely due to a Type II error, F(5, 55)= 2.27. The most important attribution emerging from the absentee data is its relationship to academic quality of life. The importance of attendance in academic success is well documented (Roby, 2004). Finally, parental influence and involvement is an important factor in student attendance. The increased amount of leisure physical activity (PA2) and eating lunch on Saturdays and Sundays (NH3), seen with decreased absenteeism, may be indicative of students spending increased time with family via recreational activities and meal time. It follows that students revealing these characteristicsindicative of increased parental involvementwould exhibit a decreased rate of absenteeism There are several notable strengths to this study. It has sounded a call for examining relationships of physical activity, nutritional habits, quality of life and body image satisfaction to fitness level and academic performance within the students in our public school system. In the last several years PE classes have shifted from being a mandatory part of the standard educational

PETS 29 curriculum to one that is elective. We believe that this alteration is a tragedy and results in the neglect of our childrens health and wellbeing. Furthermore, it is clear that there is an underlying theme to our research. The PE students in our study had a very low rate of overweight and a negligible incidence of obesity. Additionally, more than 60% of students were able to complete a mile run in under 12 minutes, no doubt influenced by their participation in PE classes and healthy nutritional habits. The data obtained in this study is to be utilized in creating a standardized database upon which to monitor the differences and changes in students measurements and achievement. Limitations The most obvious and regretful limitation of this project was the lack of usable data on FCAT scores, and of several specific fitness measurements (i.e. resting heart rate, blood pressure, and waist circumference). The recovery of FCAT scores is still being attempted at the time of this discussion and will be immediately evaluated if and when they are obtained. Although some of the fitness measurements were irretrievably lost, based on the data collected on BMI and BF, we may have likewise found little evidence of the need for specific interventions related to complications of overweight and obesity for the students at

PETS 30 Nautilus Middle School. A second study repeating the measures in this pilot study, including FCAT scores and the aforementioned fitness measurements, would be of value in contributing to the understructure evidencing the need for a Physical Education Tracking System (PETS). Lower occurrence of correlations seen with race/ethnicity may be attributable to the high Hispanic sample size relative to other races/ethnicities at Nautilus. It would be important to discover whether or not a larger sampling of white, black and other racial/ethnic groups would have elucidated additional correlations due to race/ethnicity. Other limitations include the cross-sectional composition of this studywhich offers merely a snapshot of the student population at largerenders it stunted for use in determining whether or not gender and/or race ethnicity influence the variables we have examined. Various pieces of individuals data were missing due to students having transferred to or from the school, changing classes, or experiencing illness during the course of the data collection. Additional minimal error may have occurred due to human error in transcribing students data from paper surveys to software spreadsheets, but was controlled for.

PETS 31 It would have been extremely interesting to expand the survey data to include students at Nautilus who did not elect to take PE classes. Future research on a grander scale, perhaps on a district, county, or statewide basis would also be invaluable. However, additional assistance and research funding would be critical on undertaking such an operation. Perhaps the low incidence of overweight and obesity and correlation between PAT and NHT (and perhaps even the relationship between QLT and NHT) can be attributed to the fact that these students are attending PE classes where they engage in physical activity and also receive education about fitness and nutrition.

Acknowledgements Special thanks are extended to Dr. Arlette Perry, PhD (Chairperson and Professor, Department of Exercise & Sport Sciences; Director, Laboratory of Clinical & Applied Physiology); Ms. Wojcik (Physical Education Teacher at Nautilus Middle School); Principal Welker, PhD and VicePrincipal Echemendia at Nautilus Middle School; Dr. Jayne Greenberg, Executive Director of Life Skills and Special Projects for Miami-Dade Schools; and University of Miami undergrad students for their assistance and collaboration on this project.

PETS 32 References Burton, S.; Kozup, J.; Creyer, E. (2003). Making Healthy Food Choices: The Influence of a Health Claim and Nutrition Information on Consumers' Evaluations of Packaged Food Products and Restaurant Menu Entrees. Journal of Marketing 67:19-34. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) (2008). Physical Activity Topics, Physical Activity for Everyone, How much physical activity do you need? http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guideline s/children.html CDC: NCHS (Center for Disease Control: National Center for Health Statistics). Obesity Still a Major Problem, New Data Show. Oct. 6, 2004. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04facts/obesity.htm Calderon, K.; Yucha, C.; Schaffer, S. (2005). ObesityRelated Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Intervention Recommendations to Decrease Adolescent Obesity. Journal of Pediatric Nursing 20(1):3-14. FDOE (2005). Florida Department of Eduacation. http://fcat.fldoe.org/ Goodman, Elizabeth; Slap, Gail B.; and Huang, Bin (2003). The Public Health Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Adolescent Depression and Obesity. Am J Public Health 93(11): 18441850. KidsHealth.org (1995). KidsHealth: Parents, Growth & Development, Growing Up, Your Child's Growth. The Nemours Foundation. http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/childs_gro wth.html NCCDPHP (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) (2005). Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Atlanta, GA. cdcinfo@cdc.gov McGinnis, JM; Gootman, JA; Kraak, VI (2006). Food marketing to children and youth: threat or opportunity? The National Academies Press Washington, DC.

PETS 33 Ogden, Cynthia L.; Flegal, Katherine M.; Carroll, Margaret D.; Johnson, Clifford L. (2002). Prevalence and Trends in Overweight Among US Children and Adolescents, 19992000. JAMA 288(14):1728-1732. Olsen, Karen; Bonow, Robert; American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2005, Dallas, Nov. 13-16, 2005. Roby, Douglas E. Research On School Attendance And Student Achievement: A Study Of Ohio Schools (2004). Educational Research Quarterly, 28(1):3-16. Taras, H. (2005). Nutrition and student performance at school. J Sch Health 75(6):199-213. Timlin, Maureen T.; Pereira, Mark A.; Story, Mary; NeumarkSztainer, Dianne (2008). Breakfast Eating and Weight Change in a 5-Year Prospective Analysis of Adolescents: Project EAT (Eating Among Teens). Pediatrics 121(3) e638-e645. U.S. Bureau of the Census (1991). Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1991 (111th edition.) Washington, DC. USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) (2005). Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables_why.html USDHHS (United States Department of Health and Human Services): NIH (National Institute of Health), National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (2004). Heart & Vascular Diseases: Overweight and Obesity: Who Is At Risk? http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/obe/obe_w hoisatrisk.html

PETS 34 Appendix Table 1A. PAT scores and grade distribution. Score 16-20 11-15 6-10 0-5 Grade A B C D Frequency of occurrence 9.1% of students 34.8% of students 46.5% of students 9.6% of students

Table 1B. NHT scores and grade distribution. Score 31-40 21-30 11-20 0-10 Grade A B C D Frequency of occurrence 36.1% of students 53.8% of students 8.5% of students 1.5% of students

Table 1C. QLT scores and grade distribution. Score 69-92 46-68 24-45 0-23 Grade A B C D Frequency of occurrence 70.8% of students 25.3% of students 2.1% of students 1.5% of students

PETS 35 Table 1C-A. QL survey grades frequency of occurrence by area Grade Health & activities Frequency of occurrence Feelings Peers Academics Total A B C 2.7% D 2.2% 2.1% 1.5% 3.2% 1.5%

74.9% 20.0%

57.0% 28.9% 11.9% 72.3% 21.7% 4.2%

47.7% 34.1% 14.7% 70.8% 25.3% 2.1%

Table 1D. BIS scores and grade distribution. Score 0-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 Grade A B C D Frequency of occurrence 95.2% of students 4.2% of students 0.6% of students 0% of students

PETS 36

Table 2. Primary Bivariate Correlations PA2 Dem leisure gender race/ethnicity PA3 after-school ST * NH4 high-sug. PA1 PA/NH PA2 PA3 PA4 PA5 PAT NH4 high-sug QL1 QL QL2 QL3 QL4 QLT QL4 BIS academic body image satisfaction ** PA1 vigorous FGM FG FGP FGC FGT BMI BF mile run time push up curl up trunk lift body mass index body fat percent ** ** ** health feelings peer academic ** ** **** BF body fat ** PA5 sports NH10 veg NHT total ** ** NHT total vigorous leisure after-school ST other ST sports/exercise **** *** **** **** ** **** *** PA4 other ST *** NH7 juice NH9 fruit *** NH10 veg **** NHT total * NH5 dairy * NH7 juice * ** ** NH8 eat out NHT total QL3 peers *

PA PA1

vigorous

*p>0.05, **p<0.01, ***p=0.001, ****p>0.001

PETS 37
Table 2. Primary Bivariate Correlations (Continued) Academ. PA2 leisure AB absenteeism ** FGM mile run time FG/FG FGM FGP FGC BMI BF mile run time push up curl up body mass index body fat percent **** NH3 lunch SS **** FGP push up ** **** QL4 academic **** FGC curl up BMI body mass index ** BF body fat percent ** ****

*p>0.05, **p<0.01, ***p=0.001, ****p>0.001

Table 3. FitnessGRAM Standards

PETS 38 Table 4. Nautilus PE Students Mile Run vs. HFZ, minutes. Nautilus PE Students Mile Run Time Gender Females Age 12 13 14 15 16 Males 12 13 14 15 16 Mean 10:28 11:17 13:06 11:29 n/a 10:05 10:58 11:15 9:21 11:18 Range 13:11-7:25 14:34-7:18 19:00-7:47 12:50-10:09 n/a 14:40-7:20 17:30-6:58 20:00-6:00 13:30-6:29 14:19-8:18 12:00-9:00 11:30-9:00 11:00-8:30 11:30-8:00 10:00-8:00 10:30-8:00 10:00-7:30 9:30-7:00 9:00-7:00 8:30-7:00 HFZ Mile Run Time