The physical fitness of most seventh-graders in the Santa Maria Valley took a nose dive, while fifth- and ninth-graders found themselves in much better shape than last year, according to 2008 results of the California Physical Fitness Test.

The annual test measures the physical fitness of California's fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders and compares the levels to prior years.

Though fifth-graders in the Santa Maria-Bonita and Orcutt Union School districts made marked gains toward better physical fitness, seventh-graders lost ground in their aerobic health.

However, seventh-graders in the Guadalupe Union School District bucked the trend and showed steady growth in their overall fitness, while ninth-graders in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District also made dramatic strides in most components of the test, according to results released Tuesday.

“The days of throwing out a ball and just going out and playing are over. It’s just not physical fitness,” said Bob Bush, director of educational materials in Orcutt. “I think it’s harder to motivate the junior high kids. Sometimes they’re a little too cool.”

The purpose of the California physical fitness test is to help students learn about physical activity and physical fitness concepts to increase the likelihood that they will adopt lifetime patterns of physical activity, state officials said.

The test addresses six areas of physical fitness: aerobic capacity, abdominal strength, upper body strength, flexibility, trunk extension to touch the toes, and body composition.

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Though each category is important, state officials cited aerobic capacity as the most crucial.

A “healthy fitness zone,” or “HFZ” designation for each area represents the level of fitness thought to provide some measure of protection from health threats such as diabetes and heart disease.

“Students are moving in the right direction toward better fitness,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell in a public statement. “But to get them to take giant leaps instead of baby steps will require additional encouragement from school administrators, teachers and parents. We all need to work together to help our students attain the level of fitness and well-being that will keep their bodies in shape and their minds sharp.”

Statewide, 28.5 percent of the students in fifth grade, 32.9 percent in seventh grade, and 35.6 percent in ninth grade reached the HFZ in all six areas of the test.

Compared to the state, students in Santa Barbara County fared well; 32.5 percent of fifth-graders, 36.3 percent of seventh-graders and 45.6 percent of ninth-graders reached the HFZ in all six areas of the test.

In Santa Maria-Bonita, 26.9 percent of fifth-graders met every HFZ goal, up from 10.8 percent last year. They also stepped up their aerobic capacity: 59.2 percent met the HFZ in the area, an improvement of more than seven percentage points from 2007.

However, seventh-graders did not fare as well as the fifth-graders.

Only 19.7 percent reached the HFZ in all six categories, down from 23 percent last year. Aerobic capacity also took a hit, with 45.6 percent of seventh-graders meeting the HFZ goal in this category, a plunge of eight percentage points from 2007.

Maggie White, a spokeswoman for the Santa Maria-Bonita district, had no explanation as to why the level of seventh-graders’ performance on the fitness test may have fallen, but attributed the success of fifth-graders to a new physical education program implemented last year.

Called Game Day, the program offers teachers a set, organized curriculum based on the standards tested on the state physical fitness exam.

While Santa Maria-Bonita’s junior highs have credentialed P.E. teachers, before Game Day, K-6 teachers in the district simply held unstructured P.E. sessions with their students by taking them outside and having them run or play a sport.

In addition to the new program, grants have funded credentialed P.E. teachers for some elementary schools in Santa Maria-Bonita.

“(The kids) are getting a lot more structured P.E.,” White said. “Now we’ve got all of the (elementary) schools on a kind of structured program ... We’re really beefing it up.”

Orcutt fifth-graders also made some solid gains in improving their aerobic capacity, with 68.5 percent of students meeting the HFZ for the category, up from 57.1 percent in 2007. However, the percentage of fifth-graders who met the HFZ for all six categories dipped slightly. Results show 31.8 percent met all six HFZ criteria, down from 33.7 percent last year.

Though seventh-graders in the Orcutt District’s aerobic capacity took a hit, more students managed to meet the HFZ in all six categories this year.

In aerobic capacity, 64.9 percent of seventh-graders met the HFZ, down from 74.1 percent in 2007, while 34.5 percent of those students met the HFZ in all six categories, up from 32.6 percent in 2007.

Unlike in Orcutt and Santa Maria-Bonita, Guadalupe’s seventh-graders made dramatic improvements on their physical fitness all around.

Ninety-four percent met the HFZ in the aerobic capacity category, up from 91.7 percent last year, while the percentage of students meeting the goals for all six categories stayed the same at 37.6 percent.

Guadalupe’s fifth-graders also made marked improvements in aerobic capacity, with 80.4 percent meeting the HFZ in the category, an improvement of more than 30 percentage points from 47.8 in 2007. To boot, 22.3 percent of fifth-graders in the district reached the HFZ for all six categories, up from just 16.8 percent last year.

Ninth-graders in the Santa Maria High School District are also in better shape than they were in 2007.

This year, 40.9 percent reached the HFZ for all six fitness criteria, whereas last year, only 29 percent did so. The students also improved their aerobic capacity: 69.1 percent met the HFZ, up nearly 10 percentage points from 58.8 percent in 2007.

District officials from Guadalupe and the Santa Maria High School District were unavailable for comment in Thanksgiving week.

For now, schools will continue to fight the good fight against childhood obesity and work to create physical education programs that will spark a lifetime of good health and physical fitness, Orcutt and Santa Maria-Bonita district officials said.

“You’re trying to develop healthy lifestyles ... and hopefully be able to lead a well-rounded life,” Bush said. “It’s part of developing yourself. It’s a way to develop and learn more about you and learn more about what you like and what you don’t like.”

November 30, 2008