Welcome to the Iowa FitnessGram Initiative

The Iowa FitnessGram Initiative was launched to help support best practices with the use of FitnessGram in school physical education. However, our programming continues to evolve over time. Click the Overview tab to learn more about how we have expanded.
The hub is set up as a "Participatory Research Network" and we welcome the addition of new schools that are interested in connecting. If you are interested in receiving our newsletters or enrolling in our related projects please complete the contact information form below.

Resources and Related Opportunities

SWITCH Obesity Prevention Program

The SWITCH obesity prevention program provides a way for schools to take coordinated action to help promote healthy lifestyles in their students. A customized PE curriculum (SWITCH PE) is specifically designed to facilitate coordination through Physical Education programs. Click here to download a brochure. Click here to read more about SWITCH on our page and to learn how to register.

Musculoskeletal Fitness Warmup Activities

A student project conducted in 2017/2018  through the network helped to evaluate the utility of a brief musculoskeletal fitness warmup routine that could be readily incorporated into most PE lessons. The brief warmup included dynamic stretching activities followed by a series of 1 minute circuit stations that included simple strength and plyometric activities. The evaluation demonstrated meaningful gains in musculoskeletal fitness (assessed with handgrip and vertical jump) following 8 weeks of use in PE. The materials are available for schools / teachers involved in the Iowa FitnessGram network. Click here to learn more.

New Projects

Assessing Student Enjoyment of Physical Activity (Pilot Study)
Teachers often assume that students enjoy physical activity but how can we really be sure? A new online tool developed by ISU researchers (Dr. Paddy Ekkekakis and Ph.D. student, Matt Ladwig) may allow us to truly understand student perceptions of physical activity and physical education. Contact Matt Ladwig (maladwig@iastate.edu) to learn more or to have your school get involved in the pilot.

Help with Fundamental Movement Skill Assessment (Pilot Project)
We are offering an opportunity for elementary schools interested in fundamental movement skill assessment to receive assistance in testing students in Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 with the Test of Gross Motor Development (TMGD) Third Edition. Contact Dr. Andrew Pitchford (eapitch@iastate.edu) to learn more about the project.