How should FITNESSGRAM body composition test results be interpreted?
The FITNESSGRAM report provides information to help you (and your child) interpret body composition scores. Scores that fall either above the Healthy Fitness Zone (Needs Improvement) or in the Very Low area should receive attention, because this indicates that the child may have greater potential than others to develop health problems related to their level of fatness or leanness. (For an article from USA Today about body composition and health, click here.) A BMI in the Needs Improvement range indicates that the child’s weight is too heavy for his or her height. However, children who are extremely muscular may have a BMI in the Needs Improvement area but may not have excess fat. In general, children who score in the Needs Improvement area should be encouraged to work toward the HFZ by slowly changing their body weight through increased physical activity and decreased consumption of high-fat, high-calorie, low-nutrition foods. Changing dietary habits and exercise habits can be very dif
