Date of Degree

8-2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program

Education

Advisor

David Fike

Advisor

Renae Fike

Advisor

Gregory Soukup

Advisor

Sandra Guzman Foster

Abstract

Between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates in the United States have doubled for adults and tripled for children (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2015). In addition, Texas, the second largest state, ranks 10th for the highest percentage of obesity among youth age 10-17 (CDC, 2015). Nationally, the United States falls behind other countries in high school and college completion rates (Greenstone, Harris, Li, Looney, & Patashnik, 2012), and since 2001 when the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) began, school administrators have reduced physical education, art, music, and recess by 44% to increase the time students spent in reading and math courses preparing for standardize tests (Kohl & Cook, 2013). While standardized testing helps measure student learning, it may be that it also contributes to the growing obesity epidemic among youth in America. This study examined the school-level relationship between body mass index (BMI), fitness, socioeconomics, and academic accountability school rating in Texas for 3 separate school years (2010-2011, 2012-2013, and 2013-2014). A significant relationship between BMI, fitness, and academic achievement was found. However, the relationship was inconsistent. This study adds to existing research and uses the most recent data to date.

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