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Purpose: The authors assessed common content knowledge of health-related fitness in a national representative sample of preservice physical education teachers in the United States. Methods: Six hundred and twenty-one preservice physical education teachers from 68 physical education teacher education (PETE) programs located in different regions in the United States completed the 40 multiple choice items health-related fitness knowledge test during the semester prior to their student teaching. In addition, each PETE program coordinator/department head completed the PETE Program Information Questionnaire. Results: The mean percentage correct on the test was 61.3% (M = 24.5, SD = 4.9). Analyses of variance and t-test analyses indicated that common content knowledge of health-related fitness was not a function of sex, program size, or region of the United States. Discussion/Conclusions: These data suggest that preservice physical education teachers in the United States lack common content knowledge of health-related fitness and warrant the attention of PETE programs.

This review summarizes the research relating physical activity to aerobic fitness among adolescents. A brief description of commonly used physical activity and aerobic fitness measures is presented, followed by an interpretation of the literature that suggests a small to moderate relationship between physical activity and aerobic fitness in this population (typical correlation of .16-17). Dose-response data are lacking, which makes it difficult to offer definitive conclusions concerning the amount of physical activity necessary to elicit change in aerobic capacity. Nevertheless, recommendations about the type, amount, and quality of physical activity for adolescents are presented. Recommendations are based on a summary of the research data on daily physical activity and aerobic fitness in adolescents. Further research is needed to investigate the association between habitual physical activity and aerobic fitness in adolescents where the a priori goal is to identify a threshold of daily physical activity necessary for an aerobic benefit associated with enhanced health.

The purpose of this study was to determine older adults’ physical activity behaviors and stage of readiness for physical activity. Data were collected on 403 American adults over the age of 60. Of these participants, 206 were aged 61–70 and 197 were over the age of 70. Participants first provided information regarding their perceptions of the benefits of physical activity. Then questions were asked to determine their stage of readiness for physical activity (i.e., precontemplation, contemplation, etc.). Results indicated that older adults are aware of the health benefits of physical activity (89%), but 69% of them are not participating in sufficient physical activity to obtain such benefits. Physical activity involvement decreases with increased age, and older men tend to be more physically active than older women. Increased knowledge about the benefits of physical activity and one’s stage of readiness for it might help increase the number of older adults who engage in sufficient physical activity.

In this study, a questionnaire translated from a national survey on physical activity of 2,002 U.S. adults (Morrow, Jackson. Bazzarre. Milne, & Blair, 1999) was adopted to survey a random sample of 812 Chinese adults through a city wide telephone interview. The respondents demonstrated poor awareness of the role of physical activity in disease prevention. Older adults possessed poorer knowledge of physical activity but higher activity levels than their younger counterparts did. Results indicated that the level and knowledge of physical activity of Chinese adults are related to age. The perceived importance of physical activity was the lowest among other health behaviors. Age, educational level, and knowledge of appropriate exercise prescription to achieve health benefits were factors used to discriminate among sedentary, somewhat active, and physically active groups. The importance of intervention programs to raise the physical activity level and knowledge of Chinese adults was demonstrated by this study.