July 30, 1963 - American schoolchildren are stronger and in better condition now than they were two years ago, President Kennedy’s Council of Physical Fitness reported to him today. The council’s findings were based on a U.S. Office of Education survey and pilot studies of 119,904 children in 7 states and the armed forces dependents’ schools. Four of every five children tested during the 1962-63 school year passed a minimum test of strength, agility, and flexibility, compared to two of every three tested in 1961. The council credited the pupils’ improved physical condition to increased participation in physical fitness programs. The council plans to go to work on adults next and announced that an illustrated 64-page exercise book for them costing 35 cents will go on sale Aug. 20.
