TY - JOUR
T1 - Declining fitness and physical education lessons in UK adolescents
AU - Weedon, Benjamin
AU - Liu, Francesca
AU - Mahmoud, Wala
AU - Burden, Samuel
AU - Whaymand, Luke
AU - Esser, Patrick
AU - Collett, Johnny
AU - Izadi, Hooshang
AU - Joshi, Shawn
AU - Meaney, Andy
AU - Delextrat, Anne
AU - Kemp, Steve
AU - Jones, Alexander
AU - Dawes, Helen
N1 - Funding Information:
Action Medical Research for Children (GN2445); Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Charitable Trust (GN2445); British Heart Foundation (FS/18/22/33479); Community Sport Activation Fund; PF Charitable Trust
Funding Information:
Acknowledgements We would like to thank all three Oxfordshire schools that took part in this study and each of their Heads of Department for Physical Education. Their hard work on top of a very demanding schedule was greatly appreciated. In addition, we would like to thank all the students and staff within the Centre for Movement, Occupational and Rehabilitation Sciences (MOReS) at Oxford Brookes University for assisting with the data collection. Professor Helen Dawes is supported by the Elizabeth Carson Trust and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 IOS Press. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/1/18
Y1 - 2022/1/18
N2 - Objectives The objective was to determine recent cross-sectional trends in health-related fitness (HRF) in secondary school students by studying the 13-14 years old age group repeatedly over 6 years, considering parallel national trends in physical education (PE). Methods Height, weight, broad jump, grip strength, 20 m shuttle run and throwing and catching skills were measured by the same research team using standardised techniques from 2014 to 2019. Trends in these HRF measures were assessed by linear regression, adjusting for school, sex and height. Interactions with fitness and body mass index (BMI) were tested. The number of PE lessons reported in the UK Annual School Workforce Census between 2010 and 2019 for all state-funded secondary schools was analysed. Results Grip strength (B=-0.60, 95% CI -0.78 to -0.41), broad jump (B=-1.16, 95% CI -1.99 to -0.34), 20 m shuttle run (B=-1.85, 95% CI -2.58 to -1.12) and throwing and catching skills (B=-0.12, 95% CI -0.15 to -0.08) declined significantly over the study period. There was a greater reduction in broad jump and grip strength in adolescents with low fitness and a greater reduction in fitness and motor competence in adolescents with normal BMI. These declines coincided with a 16% reduction nationally in secondary school PE between 2010 (333 800 hours) and 2019 (280 725 hours). Conclusion Adolescent HRF has declined in recent years, in parallel with PE lessons. Declines were observed across all young people and particularly those of low fitness and normal BMI. To reach the majority of young people, policy makers could increase PE in schools to increase activity and prevent worsening fitness and health in future generations.
AB - Objectives The objective was to determine recent cross-sectional trends in health-related fitness (HRF) in secondary school students by studying the 13-14 years old age group repeatedly over 6 years, considering parallel national trends in physical education (PE). Methods Height, weight, broad jump, grip strength, 20 m shuttle run and throwing and catching skills were measured by the same research team using standardised techniques from 2014 to 2019. Trends in these HRF measures were assessed by linear regression, adjusting for school, sex and height. Interactions with fitness and body mass index (BMI) were tested. The number of PE lessons reported in the UK Annual School Workforce Census between 2010 and 2019 for all state-funded secondary schools was analysed. Results Grip strength (B=-0.60, 95% CI -0.78 to -0.41), broad jump (B=-1.16, 95% CI -1.99 to -0.34), 20 m shuttle run (B=-1.85, 95% CI -2.58 to -1.12) and throwing and catching skills (B=-0.12, 95% CI -0.15 to -0.08) declined significantly over the study period. There was a greater reduction in broad jump and grip strength in adolescents with low fitness and a greater reduction in fitness and motor competence in adolescents with normal BMI. These declines coincided with a 16% reduction nationally in secondary school PE between 2010 (333 800 hours) and 2019 (280 725 hours). Conclusion Adolescent HRF has declined in recent years, in parallel with PE lessons. Declines were observed across all young people and particularly those of low fitness and normal BMI. To reach the majority of young people, policy makers could increase PE in schools to increase activity and prevent worsening fitness and health in future generations.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123431992&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001165
DO - 10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001165
M3 - Article
SN - 2055-7647
VL - 8
JO - BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine
JF - BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine
IS - 1
M1 - e001165
ER -