New study shows kids’ physical fitness is more important than BMI

Medical X-Press – Leigh Beeson

Physical education should focus on improving students’ physical skills, knowledge of the benefits of exercise and motivation to be active. The goal should be to build students’ cardiorespiratory endurance, a measure of how well the body handles long periods of exercise—not to help them lose weight, according to the study’s authors. Kids can be overweight (as measured by the Body Mass Index, or BMI) and still able to reach the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. And students who are more active during PE, despite their weight, are more likely to stay active after school as well.

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