Assessing the physical fitness of Georgia's children

The Philanthropic Collaborative for a Healthy Georgia is an informal group bringing Georgia's foundations together to respond to the health-related challenges facing the state. In 2003, about 33% of Georgia middle school youth and 26% of high school youth were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. Because of these statistics, the Collaborative partnered with the State to launch an initiative focused on obesity among Georgia's children. Before programmatic goals could be set for Georgia, the Collaborative determined that a baseline assessment must be conducted. This resulted in the Georgia Youth Fitness Assessment (GYFA). The FITNESSGRAM was used to determine the proportion of 5th and 7th graders scoring in the Healthy Fitness Zone using gender-specific standards for BMI, cardiorespiratory endurance, and four aspects of muscular fitness. Also, 3DPAR, a 3-day physical activity recall questionnaire, was used to determine the proportion receiving the nationally-recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. Differences by gender, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural status were examined. In addition, CDC's 2006 SHPPS was used to describe programs and policies in participating schools. Georgia State University and Macro International Inc. conducted the GYFA, which provides comprehensive, evidence-based information to Georgia's key decision makers and stakeholders that will impact the design and implementation of policies and programs needed to address obesity among Georgia's children. By combining the forces of private foundations, government, universities, and a nationally recognized private research organization, Georgia is a national model of utilizing public/private partnerships to address childhood obesity.