NAK Position Statement
19126
wp-singular,page-template-default,page,page-id-19126,wp-theme-bridge,wp-child-theme-bridge-child,bridge-core-3.3.4.5,qi-blocks-1.4.4,qodef-gutenberg--no-touch,qode-page-transition-enabled,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,footer_responsive_adv,hide_top_bar_on_mobile_header,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-30.8.8.5,qode-theme-bridge,disabled_footer_bottom,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-8.7.1,vc_responsive

NAK Position Statement

National Academy of Kinesiology Position Statement on

 

PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL ON SPORTS, FITNESS, & NUTRITION,

PRESIDENTIAL FITNESS TEST AND YOUTH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROMOTION

The National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK) is an honorary society dedicated to encouraging and promoting the study and educational applications of the art and science of human movement and physical activity. Academy fellows are elected and inducted because of their significant contributions to its primary purpose. They are eminent scientists and educators in the interdisciplinary field of kinesiology, including exercise and sports science, physical activity promotion, (adapted) physical education pedagogy, physical fitness, sport nutrition as well as socio-cultural and behavioral areas of specialization. Academy fellows have served the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (PCSFN) and all its predecessors, have chaired or been members of the Science Board of the PCSFN, and been recognized by the PCSFN for their lifetime contributions.

 

The Academy has a history of supporting efforts to promote health-enhancing physical activity and health-related physical fitness (1,2). Consistent with this history, the Academy supports the stated goal established for the reinstated PCSFN (3) of addressing “… the threat to the vitality and longevity of our country that is posed by America’s declining health and physical fitness.  For far too long, the physical and mental health of the American people has been neglected. Rates of obesity, chronic disease, inactivity, and poor nutrition are at crisis levels, particularly among our children.” Accordingly, the Academy volunteers its expertise in achieving the stated goal.

 

Specifically, the NAK recommends:

 

  • initiating efforts to increase youth fitness and better health through promotion and funding for physical education and comprehensive school physical activity programs in U.S. schools. The Physical Activity Alliance currently gives school programs, including daily physical education programs, a D- rating (4). With known connections between physical activity, cognitive abilities and mental health, implementing a nationwide policy requiring physical education in school settings would be a sensible way to impact all school-aged children and adolescents.

 

  • following the participatory, consensus-building strategies of the Office of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention that initiated steps to revitalize Youth Fitness Programs that prioritized the use of evidence-based health-related fitness test items and standards (4,5,6), and capacity-building strategies to support and enhance school physical education and physical activity programming.

 

  • appointing a PCSFN Executive Director with expertise in the scientific and educational applications of physical activity.

 

  • funding the PCSFN with a budget adequate to maintain a permanent staff of professionals with expertise in the scientific and educational applications of physical activity and to sustain programs over the long term.

 

  • reestablishing the PCSFN Science Board first created in 2002 with the purpose of providing scientific and educational input concerning PCSFN programs including youth fitness testing and production of associated fitness materials. Further, the NAK recommends the appointment of highly accomplished leaders and researchers in exercise and nutrition on an active Science board to support the activities of PCSFN.

 

  • appointing a Chair of the Science Board with a background in the science and educational applications of health-enhancing physical activity, and at least two other board members, to be members of the PCSFN. This ensures that Council members are provided with the scientific and educational knowledge required to support program recommendations.

 

The National Academy of Kinesiology was established in 1926 as the American Academy of Physical Education. In 1993 it became the American Academy of Physical Education and Kinesiology and was subsequently renamed as the National Academy of Kinesiology in 2010.

 

References

 

  1. American Academy of Physical Education [now National Academy of Kinesiology]. (1981). Position Statements on Physical Education and Sport. The Academy Papers. Reston, VA: AAHPERD.

 

  1. National Academy of Kinesiology and American Kinesiology Association. (2025). America Can’t Be Great Without Great Science and Highly Educated Professionals—A Call for Continued Support of Research and Physical Activity Programs That Provide a High Return on Investment. Kinesiology Review, 14(3), 232-234.

 

  1. The Presidential Executive Order of July 31, 2025. PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL ON SPORTS, FITNESS, AND NUTRITION, AND THE REESTABLISHMENT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL FITNESS TEST. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/07/presidents-council-on-sports-fitness-and-nutrition-and-the-reesetablishment-of-the-presidential-fitness-test/

 

  1. Physical Activity Alliance. (2024). The 2024 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. https://paamovewithus.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024-U.S.-Report-Card-on-Physical-Activity-for-Children-and-Youth_FINAL-11.2024.pdf

 

  1. Criterion Referenced Fitness Standards. (2022). Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 26(4), Entire Special Issue.

 

  1. Institute of Medicine [now the National Academy of Medicine]. (2012). Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth. National Academies.