American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

Get the Facts

The fact sheets below provide the basis for implementing a comprehensive school physical activity program and can be used in presentations, letters, or other means of communication as part of the basis for expanding and improving physical education and activity. Once you get the facts it's time to get the resources and get involved!

Quick Fact Sheets

• Physical Education Fact Sheet [pdf]
• Physical Activity Fact Sheet [pdf]
• Youth Physical Activity: The Role of Schools [pdf]
• Physical Education for Students with Disabilities Fact Sheet [pdf]
• Findings from the 2010 Shape of the Nation Report [pdf]

The following are the answers to frequently asked questions about physical education and physical activity.

• What are the physical activity guidelines for children and adolescents?
• What is the difference between physical education and physical activity?
• What is the participation in physical activity by young people?
• What kind of public support exisits for Physical Education?
• Overweight youth: What are the numbers ?

Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Adolescents

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

• Children and adolescents should engage in 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity daily.
• Aerobic: Most of the 60 or more minutes a day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least 3 days a week.
• Muscle-strengthening: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.
• Bone-strengthening: As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.
• It is important to encourage young people to participate in physical activities that are appropriate for their age, that are enjoyable, and that offer variety.

In support of these guidelines, NASPE recommends that schools provide 150 minutes per week of instructional physical education for elementary school children, and 225 minutes per week for middle and high school students for the entire school year. NASPE also recommends school-age children accumulate at least 60 minutes and up to several hours of physical activity per day while avoiding prolonged periods of inactivity.

Understand the Difference Between Physical Education and Physical Activity

There is a difference between physical education and physical activity and both are vital to a comprehensive school physical activity program.   

• Physical Education is a planned, sequential K-12 curriculum that provides cognitive content and learning experiences in a variety of activity areas. Physical education teachers assess student knowledge, motor and social skills, and provide instruction in a safe, supportive environment. School physical education programs offer the best opportunity to provide physical activity to all children and to teach them the skills and knowledge needed to establish and sustain an active lifestyle.  
   
• Physical Activity is bodily movement of any type and may include recreational, fitness and sport activities such as jumping rope, playing soccer, lifting weights, as well as daily activities such as walking to the store, taking the stairs or raking the leaves. Similar health benefits to those received during a physical education class are possible during physical activity bouts when the participant is active at an intensity that increases heart rate and produces heavier than normal breathing.

Participation in Physical Activity by Young People

• 65% of high school students did not meet recommended levels of physical activity—activity that increased their heart rate and made them breathe hard some of the time for a total of at least 60 minutes per day on 5 or more days during the last 7 days. 
• 35% of high school students watched television 3 or more hours per day on an average school day. 25% played video or computer games or used a computer for something that was not school work for 3 or more hours per day on an average school day. 
• Nationwide, less than one-third of all children ages 6 to 17 engage in vigorous activity, defined as participating in physical activity for at least 20 minutes that made the child sweat and breathe hard. 
• 48.4% of schools offered intramural activities or physical activity clubs to students, and 77.0 % of middle schools and 91.3 percent of high schools offered students opportunities to participate in at least one interscholastic sport. 
• Physical Fitness and Academic Performance A 2004 California Department of Education study, using data from a standardized health-related fitness testing protocol and the California Standards Tests, showed a significant positive relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement.
• A 2007-08 study of more than 2.4 million Texas students found that students who were physically fit were more likely to do well on the state's standardized tests than students who were not physically fit.
• In 2009, the New York City Health Department and Department of Education reported that physical fitness was associated with higher academic achievement among their public school students.

Public Support for Physical Education

• The American Academy of Pediatrics, NASPE, the American Heart Association, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Education, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are all on record as supporting the need for physical activity for youths and for quality physical education in the schools.
• 31% the physical education instructors perceive increased interest and support from parents regarding students' physical activity; and 27% perceive increased interest/support from parents regarding students' physical education. 
• Nearly all parents (95%) think regular daily physical activity helps children do better academically and should be part of a school curriculum for all students in grades K-12
• Three out of four parents (76%) think more school physical education could help control or prevent childhood obesity 
• The majority of parents believe physical education is at least as important as other academic subjects. The percentages range from 54% to 84%, depending on the subject being compared. 
• A survey report from the Harvard Health Forum indicated that 91 percent of parents feel that there should be more physical education in schools, particularly for fighting obesity.  

Overweight Among Youth

• Among 6-11 year olds, 33% are considered overweight and 17% are considered obese
• 34% of 12-19 year olds are overweight and 17.6% are considered obese; these rates have roughly doubled since 1980. 
• Among high school students, 13% are obese—defined by the CDC as >95th percentile for body mass index, by age and sex, based on reference data. 
• Eight of the 10 states with the highest rates of obese and overweight children are in the South, as are nine of the 10 states with the highest rates of poverty.