Assessment of Knowledge and Practices Related to Children's Physical Fitness and Health Among French PE Teachers

To assess PE teachers' knowledge of physical fitness and its link to children's health and identify barriers and facilitators for its management in schools.

A total of 2,378 PE teachers (56% men) completed an online questionnaire on their knowledge, perceived barriers, and facilitators regarding physical fitness.

Most of teachers reported being aware of the associations between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) (96%) and muscular strength (MS) (88%) with current health in youth. A smaller proportion of teachers acknowledged knowing the potential associations of these fitness components with future health in adulthood, specifically 40% for CRF and 22% for MS. The majority of teachers (80%) reported being sufficiently trained during their training courses to assess and develop the CRF. Only 50% of teachers reported feeling sufficiently trained to assess MS, while 58% reported being adequately trained to develop this component. Among the teachers, 82% reported that insufficient practice time, large class sizes, and high heterogeneity are key obstacles. Less than 50% identified other prioritized objectives as barriers, while 30% reported a lack of material resources as a significant limitation. Then, 84% of teachers reported being interested in participating in continued professional development focused on the promotion of physical fitness in youth through PE.

Barriers such as limited training, structural constraints, and low awareness of MS recommendations hinder effective fitness management. Addressing these through improved curricula, teacher training, and resources is crucial to enhancing youth fitness and health in France.