Research Shows Children’s Aerobic Performance Improves During School Year

Contact: Steve Butterfield, 581-2469; George Manlove (207) 581-3756

July 28 Workshop to Help Teachers Learn to Administer Fitness Tests

ORONO — Summer is traditionally considered the time when children are most physically activity, but a recent study by University of Maine physical education researchers and collaborating public school physical education teachers found that fitness may decrease when youngsters are not in school.

Stephen Butterfield and Robert Lehnhard of UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development and Craig Mason, UMaine associate professor of education, tested the aerobic performance of 826 students in grades 4-8 on the PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) fitness measurement program, in which students run laps at increasing levels of intensity.

“We in initially anticipated better performance in the summer because of greater physical activity levels,” says Butterfield. “But in our literature review, we found a study done in Greece that found better aerobic performance during the school year than in the summer when kids are supposed to be more active.”

Indeed, in the Maine testing, he says, “kids got better. They improved their aerobic performance throughout the school year. Their aerobic performance, which is important for cardiovascular health, improved throughout the school year when they were allegedly least active.”

A related study also found that students with asthma improved their fitness faster than their non-asthmatic peers. “They were behind aerobically because maybe they never pushed themselves aerobically or may have not been encouraged,” Butterfield says. “The basic conclusion is maybe we underestimated these kids.”

The research, one of the few longitudinal studies of fitness assessment, adds to the evidence that asthmatic students who are able to manage their condition benefit from vigorous exertion, even children with the type of asthma brought on by exercise, which constitutes 60-90 percent of kids with asthma, Butterfield says.

The positive findings were a springboard for a Maine Youth Fitness Project July 28 at UMaine. Physical education teachers from 15-20 Maine schools were scheduled to learn how to use fitness evaluation software and other tools for administering PACER in their programs this fall.

Butterfield can be reached at (207) 581-2469 for additional information.