Health-Related Physical Fitness Knowledge of Student Allied Health Professions

Abstract

Each allied-health profession has their own particular expertise but also shares some commonalities. One such commonality should be knowledge of health-related physical fitness relating to the health and well-being of individuals. Although the benefits of health-related physical fitness has been well documented, few studies have examined the level of health-related physical fitness knowledge among allied-health professions. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to assess the health-related physical fitness knowledge of three allied-health professions using a 40 item multiple-choice test designed to assess knowledge in five domains of health-related physical fitness. Results indicated that student athletic trainers scored significantly higher on the post-test versus pre-test. On the post-test, athletic training and physical therapy groups scored significantly higher than the nursing group. The information from this study may be valuable in aiding educators in developing appropriate curriculums to better prepare students for their role as allied-health professionals.