3/12/15

I have used body fat analysis as part of my fitness assessment for each student. A pre-test, mid-semester check and post-test of each student's body fat is recorded and then I also complete the BMI for each student.

After the pre-test I provide students with articles which emphasize workout plans and nutritional information that will help each individual obtain a healthy level of body fat.

Do you feel this is a good idea to integrate body fat testing into the fitness assessment aspect of a school curriculum?

Thank you.

Dean W. Tutas

I do like the idea of using body fat testing in PE class. The problem I found is getting accurate results from testing. I have used scales before, but they don't seem reliable.
I have also used BMI testing. This is simple, but obviously not ideal due to lack of consideration for muscle.
I had an interesting dilemma once. A parent got upset with me because her daughter's results came back that she was overweight. He mother emailed me and berated me. Told me her daughter is beautiful and how dare I test her. I had to explain to her that her daughter has a high body fat percentage, lacking muscle mass. It was rough, but her and her daughter did come to understand and accept.
Dom

At the elementary level I would disagree with using any type of body assessment. Most students are already aware of their body image so an assessment wouldn’t help. Teaching lessons on healthy eating and ways to be active after school hours would be more beneficial.

I completely agree with you that students are well aware of the shape that their body is in and drawing any more attention to it is unnecessary. I am a middle school physical education/health teacher and due to our grant that we have received we are forced to assess students physical abilities. This time of year is difficult because we want to promote physical activity and students are easily compared to one another and this can hinder our goal. I would agree that just educating students in the beneficial aspects of leading a healthy lifestyle and providing varying activities that suit their needs would be more beneficial in the long term.

I feel using the BMI chart is a great guide to where one should be. I could see how using any type of fat analysis in school could seriously start an issue. I work on a military base and any negative comments or seemingly negative comments will end up in an ICE complaint. This is a complaint that goes to the commander of the base. The BMI chart is good for us because it is a guide not written in stone. Its nice to see what others are using thoug.