Impact of Annual School Fitness Reports on Students' Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of Parental Reporting.

In 30 seconds

This cluster-randomized controlled trial examined whether annual school fitness reports sent to parents affected fitness among students in grades 5–8 (ages 10–15 years) at 12 California public schools. Mixed-effects models compared changes over 1 and 2 years in estimated peak oxygen consumption, curl-ups, and push-ups between students whose parents received reports and controls. At 1 year, the between-group change in estimated peak oxygen consumption was -0.03 mL/kg/min (95% CI, -.367 to 0.302), with no differential change in strength measures; no differences were seen after 2 years.

Key findings

• At 1 year, estimated peak oxygen consumption showed no differential change between groups: -0.03 mL/kg/min (95% CI, -.367 to 0.302).
• At 1 year, between-group changes were 1.2 curl-ups (95% CI, -0.306 to 2.660) and 0.1 push-ups (95% CI, -0.672 to 0.787).
• No differences in cardiorespiratory fitness or strength were seen after 2 years.

Why it matters

School fitness testing can support population health monitoring, but reporting results to parents alone may not translate into improved student performance. These findings suggest that a brief annual report, without environmental changes or behavioral coaching and support, is insufficient to change measured fitness over the study period.

What to keep in mind

The study was conducted in 12 California public schools and assessed fitness performance over 1 and 2 years; the abstract does not report outcomes beyond that period.