A Community Engaged Approach To Health And Physical Education

The purpose of the Smart Nutrition and Conditioning for Kids (SNACK) pilot study was to increase fitness levels and overall health of children 7 to 9 years of age in two elementary schools, one urban and one urban rim. Fundamental Integrative Training (FIT) was incorporated into physical education class and was considered a vital component of SNACK. Methods: The FIT intervention was performed twice weekly during physical education class for 8 weeks. Pre and post Fitnessgram fitness tests were completed by each child. Results: Fitnessgram fitness test scores improved for all fitness tests for both the experimental and control groups in both schools (p<0.05). Significant differences between groups was found in 4 areas: PACER, push-up, curl-ups, and long jump (p<0.05). Conclusion: FIT is one example of an interdisciplinary (nursing, health and exercise science students and faculty, elementary school administration and staff) collaborative approach to improving fitness levels with limited time and resources

Author(s): Tracy Perron

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