Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

Focusing on physical education for kindergarten through grade 12, this user-friendly text emphasizes teaching strategies, theories, and skills to give students a foundation for designing an effective learning experience. This new edition focuses on the Physical Education National Beginning Teaching Standards with updates in assessment and student motivation, and the addition of a brief introduction to Mosston's styles of teaching.

Physical education teaching and learning efforts obviously target the student. Like parents, teachers, administrators and any other directly or indirectly involved parties, students do have opinions based on their experience on their respective physical education classes and physical education in general. These opinions, or so-called attitudes, are important to research due to their potential of giving insight to the learner’s perspective, which may also serve as an authentic feedback from the student. This study investigated German secondary school students’ attitudes toward physical education. Results have the intention to reveal what attitudes towards physical education German students have and which factors influence these attitudes. The study sample contained students from the different school types Gymnasium, Realschule, and Haupt-/Werkrealschule. The students were surveyed via questionnaire that was developed based on validated research instruments from prior studies in the field. Data was analyzed integrating independent variables such as students' gender, physical education grade, grade point average, body mass index, socioeconomic status, type of school, citizenship, and the exercise and physical activity behavior of students, their parents and their peers.

Grade level: 6, 7, 8, 9, e, i, s, t.

Over the last 30 years, physical activity among adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 has continued to decline, and the risk of morbidity associated with sedentary living has increased (CDC, 2017). Furthermore, research has identified females as being at greater risk of morbidity because they are opting out of physical activity at twice the rate of boys and not getting the recommended 60 minutes a day of physical activity (NPAP, 2016). Many girls are avoiding physical education classes, where the concepts of health-related fitness, the development of skills necessary to participate in a variety of physical activities, and a love for physical fitness are formed. This research examined attitudes toward physical activity of females in a single-gender versus a mixed-gender physical education (PE) class. The purpose of this static group comparison examination was to determine if a statistically significant difference existed in the attitudes toward physical activity between girls taking a ninth-grade, single-gender PE course and girls taking a ninth-grade coed PE course. The participants for this investigation comprised females between the ages of 13 and 18 taking physical education during the 2018-2019 school year. Three items from a physical activity attitude scale related to gender, competence, and usefulness were used to determine attitudes toward physical activity. Performance in aerobic capacity was also evaluated between the groups using the school district’s adopted standardized physical education assessment, FITNESSGRAM® to ascertain the level of cardiovascular fitness of girls taking a single-gender physical education class and girls taking a mixed-gender physical education class.