The public health community is becoming increasingly interested in the potential contributions of school physical education to child health. School physical education is seen as an ideal site for the promotion of regular physical activity because up to 97% of elementary school children participate in some sort of physical education program. For maximal public health benefit, school physical education programs should prepare children for a lifetime of physical activity. This public health goal for physical education may require some changes in current approaches. Physical educators are challenged to collaborate with public health professionals in developing and evaluating school physical education programs that will improve the health of the nation's youth.