[Medical certificates for physical education in schools; the situation in Geneva]

The sedentarisation of youth is a major public health issue. Much hope has been placed on school physical education (PE) as a source of regular physical activity and to promote an active life style. A trans-disciplinary group counted the number of medical certificates in secondary school (11339 students), modified the existing excuse form, and generated a debate about PE. In 2000-2001, 15% of students (1688) presented medical certificates: 48% were for >3 months to one year, among which 75% were girls. The proportion of medical certificates varied from school to school (2,3 to 15%). A new form allowing to establish partial incapacity brought a 40% reduction in total medical certificates in 2002-2003.