NYC: Fit students outscore less fit peers

NEW YORK, July 14 (UPI) -- Physically fit students in New York tend to outscore their peers who are less fit on academic tests, city health and education officials said.

An analysis of data from NYC FITNESSGRAM, a comprehensive fitness assessment of New York City public school students, also shows that childhood obesity remains prevalent in New York.

A report from the New York City health department and the department of education found that nearly 40 percent of city students are overweight or obese.

The report found that during the 2007-2008 school year, students who scored in the top 5 percent on their NYC FITNESSGRAM assessments outscored the bottom 5 percent by an average of 36 percentile points on standardized academic tests.

The findings suggest that 21 percent of kindergarten through eighth grade students are obese and an additional 18 percent of the city's students are overweight.

"When four out of 10 school kids are overweight or obese, the city has a problem," New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said in a statement. "We know that physical activity can combat obesity and its health consequences. This report suggests that healthy, active kids also learn better."

The report is at www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/survey/survey-2009fitnessgram.pdf.