Validity And Reliability Of The EMB Health-related Physical Fitness Test Battery On Primary School Students

Abstract

PURPOSE Due to the recent educational reform, the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) of Hong Kong adopted an EMB health-related fitness battery to evaluate the fitness level of students. Limited studies are found to report the validity and reliability of the EMB protocol. This study was designed to investigate the validity and reliability of the EMB health-related physical fitness test battery on primary school students. METHODS In reliability study, 230 students grades 1 to 6 (114 boys, age=9.09±1.98; 116 girls, age=9.02±2.03) participated in the field fitness tests including: 6-min (for age ≤ 8 yrs.) or 9-min (for age ≥ 9 yrs.) distance run, triceps and calf skinfolds, 1-min sit-up, handgrips, and sit-and-reach tests, at schools' playground twice with 2 weeks apart. Age and gender specific test-retest reliabilities (Pearson r) were computed for each fitness test. In validity study, another 100 students were recruited to participate in both field fitness tests and laboratory criterion tests with 2 weeks apart. Criterion tests included directly measured VO2 from a maximal treadmill jog test (for age ≥ 9 yrs.) or a 5-min step test (for age ≤ 8 yrs.); leg raise test for hamstring flexibility; isometric curl-up test for abdominal endurance; total body isometric strength test; and % fat measured from bio-electrical impedance analysis. Age and gender specific criterion-related validities were computed. RESULTS Test-retest reliabilities for all tests were very high (r=0.85 to r=0.99 for boys; r=0.74 to r=0.99 for girls). For criterion-related validity, results were: for 9-min run, moderately high in both boys (r=0.78) and girls (r=0.71); for 6-min run, very low in boys (r=0.06) and fair in girls (r=0.41); for 1-min sit-up, fair in boys (r=0.60) but low in girls (r=0.28); for sit-and-reach test, low in boys (left leg: r=0.24; right leg: r=0.31) but moderately high in girls (left leg: r=0.71; right leg: r=0.66); for handgrips, moderately high associations with arm strength (r=0.79) and back strength (r=0.71) in boys, but low with leg strength (r=0.34), shoulder strength (r=0.04), and total strength (r=0.42), similar results were found in girls. CONCLUSIONS The EMB healthrelated fitness battery displayed very good reliability, and acceptable validity in most items. Validity of distance run test in lower grade students (age ≤ 8 yrs.) was difficult to establish, probably due to weak motivation in such a young age. Further studies are needed to develop more valid tests of aerobic fitness, muscular endurance and flexibility tests for young children. (Supported by the Education and Manpower Bureau research funding.)