Performance on the California Physical Fitness Test and its correlation to physical activity opportunities in Fresno, California : an exploratory study /by Katrina Conley Arthur.

As the rate of childhood obesity increases the need to understand the effects of the built environment on physical activity increases. Through the use of Geographic Information Systems, this study assessed the link between the performance on standardized physical fitness tests and the number of opportunities for physical activity at both public and commercial facilities. The study population consists of the 5,388 7th grade students enrolled at one of the 14 middle schools within the Fresno Unified School District who participated in the California Physical Fitness Test during the 2007-2008 school year. Using the percentage of students who passed and failed in the areas of Aerobic Capacity and Body Composition and the total number of physical activity facilities within their school boundaries, a Pearson???s Correlation Coefficient was calculated to determine the strength of the association. The data was further analyzed for males and females, race/ethnicity, and types of facilities, either public or commercial. The results of the statistical testing showed strong relationship of r=.615 (??=0.05) and .728 (??=0.01) between males and total physical activity facilities, as well as commercial facilities, respectively. Additional studies are needed to understand the extent to which certain types of commercial facilities have the strongest relationship to performance on fitness tests