An Interactive Web Application for School-Based Physical Fitness Testing in California: Geospatial Analysis and Custom Mapping

TL;DR

This paper presents a web-based platform that visualizes and analyzes school-based physical fitness data in California, aiding policymakers and educators in tracking trends and evaluating programs to promote children's health.

Contribution

The authors developed an accessible, geospatial web application integrating SB-PFT data with external datasets, facilitating analysis and decision-making for physical education initiatives.

Findings

Enhanced visualization of physical fitness trends across California schools

Ability to identify successful programs and districts

Facilitates evaluation of new physical education initiatives

Abstract

Physical activity is essential for children's healthy growth and development. In the US, most states, including California, adhere to physical education standards and have implemented the mandated School-based Physical Fitness Testing (SB-PFT) for over two decades. Despite extensive data collection, research utilization of SB-PFT has been limited due to the absence of accessible analytical tools. We developed a web application using GeoServer, ArcGIS, and AWS to visualize SB-PFT data. This user-friendly platform enables education administrators and policymakers to analyze trends in children's physical fitness, identify successful programs at schools and districts, and evaluate new physical education initiatives. The application also features a custom mapping tool for comparing external datasets with SB-PFT data. We conclude that this platform, by integrating advanced analytical capabilities in an informatics-based tool, significantly enhances engagement in promoting children's physical fitness.