ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 11, 1991                   TAG: 9102110271
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

PHYSICAL UNFITNESS A BURDEN ON SOCIETY

DIFFERENCES in professional opinion are both healthy and common. However, when individual opinion is expressed through editorial comment, it might be misconstrued to represent the position of the entire profession.

Research clearly demonstrates that physical fitness of our young people is declining in the United States. The Dec. 19 letter stating that physical fitness test results are of no great concern does not reflect the view of all physical educators.

If physical fitness test items are administered correctly, the results are both reliable and valid. Fitness components measured by these tests include body fatness and aerobic fitness. Deficiency in these attributes has been shown to be associated with ill health, especially heart disease. The decline of fitness in the public schools is not a function of measurement error or an inappropriate choice of tests, but rather incomplete curricula.

The lack of fitness imposes an enormous financial burden on society. Appropriate curricula that would stimulate interest in and adherence to a lifelong program of healthy exercise could significantly enhance the health of our society. We believe the continued decline in fitness is important since it is so strongly associated with a myriad of chronic disease problems and economic consequences. WILLIAM HERBERT REED HUMPHREY DON SEBOLT DOUG SOUTHARD JANET WALBERG-RANKIN JAY WILLIAMS BLACKSBURG 


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