Abstract
The aim of this work was to evaluate the fitness levels of different physical components in schoolchildren in southern Italy and identify age-related effects of physical performance. One hundred and fifty-four schoolchildren with ages ranging between 6 and 10 years (age 8.1 ± 1.45 years; 33.70 ± 10.25 kg; 131.50 ± 13.60 cm) were recruited for the investigation. Each scholar underwent a fitness-test battery composed of five elements. A Hand-Grip Strength Test to assess the strength of the hand muscles, a Standing Broad Jump Test to assess lower body explosive strength, a Sit-Up Test to exhaustion to evaluate abdominal muscular endurance, a 4 × 10-m Shuttle Run Test to assess agility, and a 20-m sprint test to assess speed. Cross-sectional analysis revealed that boys perform better than girls and that age affects performance. Lower limb measures show a significant increase after 8 years of age, whereas upper limb measures show a significant increase at 7 and 10 years of age. No age-related differences were found in muscular endurance measures. It is possible to consider age-related performance measures to program exercise interventions that follow the growth characteristics of schoolchildren.
Highlights
Physical activity (PA) is a key component in order to maintain and improve health, including physical, mental, and emotional health [1,2,3,4]
The latter is defined as a state of wellbeing, which refers to the ability to perform daily tasks, sports, or occupations without undue fatigue [6]
The participants undertook a modified ASSO Fitness Test Battery (FTB) [6] that comprised of five selected tests for the assessment of the physical fitness components: (1) the Hand-Grip Strength Test (HG) to assess upper body strength, (2) the Standing Broad Jump Test (SBJ) to assess lower body explosive strength, (3) the Sit-Up Test to exhaustion (SUT) to assess abdominal muscular endurance, (4) the 4 × 10-m Shuttle Run Test (4 × 10 mSRT) to assess agility, and (5) the 20-m sprint test (20 mST) to assess speed [6,16,22,23]
Summary
Physical activity (PA) is a key component in order to maintain and improve health, including physical, mental, and emotional health [1,2,3,4]. A considerable amount of evidence exists that supports the concept that PA is able to improve musculoskeletal health, improve cardiovascular fitness, and improve body composition and overall physical fitness [5]. The latter is defined as a state of wellbeing, which refers to the ability to perform daily tasks, sports, or occupations without undue fatigue [6]. Laboratory tests are more costly and time consuming. Notwithstanding field tests are in general less accurate, are widely used for their lower costs, and require less time for their administration [7]
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