LAUSD KIDS FLUNKING TEST FOR FITNESS.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District are in worse shape than youngsters statewide, with fewer than a quarter meeting minimal physical fitness standards, test results released Wednesday show.

Just 17 percent of LAUSD fifth-graders achieved all six standards of the Fitnessgram, an annual statewide fitness test of public school fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders.

Results were even worse for older students.

A paltry 12 percent of LAUSD ninth-graders were considered fit, followed by 16 percent of seventh-graders. Statewide, barely a quarter of the 1.2 million children tested last spring were considered physically fit.

``It's a vivid reminder of the magnitude of the problem we're facing when it comes to educating children,'' said school board member Marlene Canter, who led the charge to ban soda sales in LAUSD schools. ``We have to focus on the entire child to teach children. It's obvious we have to focus on the physical activity level of students as well.''

Board President Caprice Young called the fitness results ``pretty awful.''

``It's something we all have to face, as parents, as school leaders, as community leaders,'' said Young, the mother of three young daughters.

``When you've got both parents working - and in many cases, both parents working multiple jobs - they may not be able to spend as much time focusing on making sure their kids are eating the right stuff when they're not around.''

To be considered fit, students must meet minimum fitness standards in all six areas: aerobic capacity (cardiovascular endurance), body composition (percentage of body fat), abdominal strength and endurance, trunk strength and flexibility, upper body strength and endurance, and overall flexibility.

Wednesday's results follow a December study that showed Los Angeles County had eight of the nine state Assembly districts with the highest percentage of overweight, unfit kids.

The 39th Assembly District, encompassing Mission Hills, Pacoima, Panorama City, Sun Valley and San Fernando, ranked second-worst in the state with one out of two children unfit.

In response to the growing childhood-obesity crisis, the LAUSD has moved to ban on-campus soda sales, eliminate fatty snacks and strip its school cafeterias of high-fat, high-sugar offerings.

Elementary school students now get an average of 3.3 hours of physical education every two weeks. Middle and high school students get 6.6 hours every two weeks.

But Young said the district's efforts are hampered by its overcrowded campuses with limited playground space. She said the district aims to overcome that obstacle by building 120 new schools and completing dozens of playground expansions in the next few years.

``Just in calendar year 2004 we will open 35,000 new school seats. There will be 60 schools under construction by March, and six are already done. We have 179 playground expansions going on.''

Public health officials applauded such efforts, citing long-term health problems associated with obesity, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke.

``If kids are less fit as they get older, there is a correlated increased risk that they're going to have health problems,'' including diabetes, heart disease and cancer, said Stefan Harvey, assistant director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.

``Community leaders, state leaders and national leaders are going to have to address this unless we want even more pronounced health consequences as these children become adults.''

Harvey also praised State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell for supporting annual fitness testing.

``We're concerned that, given the budget constraints, the current practice of testing kids annually may come under some scrutiny,'' Harvey said. ``If we say we can't afford to administer this test, then we'll no longer have the data that tells us whether this is getting worse or if there's improvement.''

CAPTION(S):

chart

Chart:

BY THE NUMBERS

SOURCE: California Department of Education