The Role of Physical Activity Assessments for School-Based Physical Activity Promotion

The emphasis in public health on lifestyle physical activity in recent years has focused attention on the promotion of lifetime physical activity as the primary objective of physical education. If used properly, physical activity and physical fitness assessments can enhance individual promotion of physical activity and also provide valuable outcome measures to facilitate home and community support for physical education. This article describes the importance of comprehensive evaluation of physical education and emphasizes the importance of including assessments of both physical activity and physical fitness for promoting physical activity. Effective evaluation practices are needed to optimize the effectiveness of physical education programming.