The role of physical education in promoting health-related fitness among secondary school students: A narrative review

Abstract

Physical education (PE) is a major school-based strategy for improving health-related fitness among secondary school students. This narrative review synthesized evidence on how PE contributes to cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular fitness, flexibility, body composition, psychosocial well-being, and lifelong physical activity. Evidence indicates that PE improves fitness most effectively when lessons are regular, inclusive, active, and delivered by trained teachers with adequate facilities and supportive school leadership. PE also contributes indirectly by improving motivation, confidence, social interaction, health knowledge, and attitudes toward active living. However, outcomes vary across contexts because many schools face limited curriculum time, poor facilities, inadequate equipment, teacher shortages, gender barriers, disability exclusion, and low institutional priority. The review highlights the need to protect PE as a core subject, strengthen teacher professional development, improve facilities, and integrate PE with whole-school physical activity and health-promotion programmes. Future research should use stronger longitudinal designs, standardized fitness measures, and context-specific evidence from developing and low-resource school settings. Strengthening PE can improve adolescent fitness, well-being, school engagement, and lifelong health behaviour.