NYC FITNESSGRAM: Population-Level Physical Fitness Surveillance for New York City Youth

• Published in: American journal of epidemiology Vol. 192; no. 3; pp. 334 - 341
• Main Authors: Day, Sophia E, Konty, Kevin J, Napier, Melanie D, Irvin, Erica, Thompson, Hannah R, D’Agostino, Emily M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 24.02.2023; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Education; Exercise; Government agencies; Health care; Humans; Hygiene; Kindergarten; Monitoring systems; New York City - epidemiology; Physical Fitness; Prospective Studies; Public health; Spatial analysis; Students; Study Design; Subpopulations; Surveillance; Surveillance systems; Trends; New York City; New York; United States > US; New York City New York; surveillance; children; schools; fitness; youth
• ISSN: 0002-9262; 1476-6256
• DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwac204

Abstract NYC FITNESSGRAM, monitored by the New York City (NYC) Department of Education and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, functions as the NYC Department of Education’s citywide youth fitness surveillance program. Here we present the methods, characteristics, and data used in this surveillance system to monitor physical fitness in public school students (grades kindergarten through 12; initiated in 2006; n = 6,748,265 observations; mean sample of 519,097 observations per year to date) in New York, New York. Youth physical fitness prevalence estimates, longitudinal trends, and spatial analyses may be investigated using continuous fitness composite percentile scores and Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research–defined sex- and age-specific Healthy Fitness Zones. Healthy Fitness Zones are based on individual-child fitness test performance, with standard errors clustered at the school and student levels and adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics. Results may be used to show trends in youth fitness attainment over time and highlight disparities in the fitness prevalence of NYC students. In sum, continuous fitness composite percentile scores offer the opportunity for prospective tracking of shifts in youth physical fitness on a population scale and across subpopulations. NYC FITNESSGRAM can accompany a growing body of surveillance tools demonstrating the potential for population-level surveillance tools to promote global public health.