BACKGROUND: The measurement of physical fitness has a history that dates back nearly 200 years. Recently, there has been an increase in international research and surveillance on physical fitness creating a need for setting international priorities that could help guide future efforts. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to produce a list of the top 10 international priorities for research and surveillance on physical fitness among children and adolescents. METHODS: Using a twin-panel Delphi method, two independent panels consisting of 46 international experts were identified (panel 1 = 28, panel 2 = 18). The panel participants were asked to list up to five priorities for research or surveillance (round 1), and then rated the items from their own panel on a 5-point Likert scale of importance (round 2). In round 3, experts were asked to rate the priorities identified by the other panel. RESULTS: There was strong between-panel agreement (panel 1: rs = 0.76, p < 0.01; panel 2: rs = 0.77, p < 0.01) in the priorities identified. The list of the final top 10 priorities included (i) "conduct longitudinal studies to assess changes in fitness and associations with health". This was followed by (ii) "use fitness surveillance to inform decision making", and (iii) "implement regular and consistent international/national fitness surveys using common measures". CONCLUSIONS: The priorities identified in this study provide guidance for future international collaborations and research efforts on the physical fitness of children and adolescents over the next decade and beyond.

Alliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity University of South Australia Adelaide SA Australia

Applied Sport Technology Exercise and Medicine Research Centre Faculty Science and Engineering Swansea University Wales UK

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute Melbourne VIC Australia

Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute Ottawa ON Canada

Centre for Active Living and Learning College of Human and Social Futures The University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia

Centre for Population Health Data Statistics Canada Ottawa ON Canada

Centre for Population Health Research Turku University Hospital University of Turku Turku Finland

Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research Public Health Agency of Canada 785 Carling Ave Ottawa ON K9A 0K9 Canada

Child Health and Exercise Medicine Program McMaster University Hamilton ON Canada

CIBER of Frailty and Healthy Aging Instituto de Salud Carlos 3 Madrid Spain

Department of Biosciences and Nutrition Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden

Department of Education Health and Behavior Studies University of North Dakota Grand Forks ND USA

Department of Global Public Health and Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden

Department of Health Medicine and Caring Sciences Linköping University Linköping Sweden

Department of Health Nutrition and Exercise Sciences North Dakota State University Fargo ND USA

Department of Health Sciences Carleton University Ottawa ON Canada

Department of Pediatrics University of Ottawa Ottawa ON Canada

Department of Physical Education and Sport Technical University of Liberec Liberec Czech Republic

Department of Physical Education Exercise and Sports Science Kenyatta University Nairobi Kenya

Department of Physical Education Federal University of Sergipe São Cristóvão SE Brazil

Department of Physical Education Theory and Methodology Hungarian University of Sports Science Budapest Hungary

Department of Physiotherapy University of Maiduguri Maiduguri Nigeria

Department of Public Health Sciences Queen's University Kingston ON Canada

Department of Sport Food and Natural Sciences Western Norway University of Applied Science Bergen Norway

Department of Sports Science and Physical Education The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shatin Hong Kong

Division of Medical Sciences University of Northern British Columbia Prince George BC Canada

Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación Unidad Central del Valle del Cauca Túlua Colombia

Faculty of Health Science Universidad Autónoma de Chile Santiago Chile

Faculty of Health Sciences Klaipeda University Klaipeda Lithuania

Faculty of Kinesiology Sport and Recreation University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada

Faculty of Primary and Pre School Education ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary

Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland

Faculty of Sport University of Ljubljana Ljubljana Slovenia

Fargo VA Healthcare System Fargo ND USA

Health Analysis Division Statistics Canada Ottawa ON Canada

Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute Ottawa ON Canada

Hungarian School Sport Federation Budapest Hungary

Institute of Active Lifestyle Palacký University Olomouc Olomouc Czech Republic

Institute of Child and Adolescent Health School of Public Health National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health Peking University Beijing China

Institute of Management and Health University of Wales Trinity Saint David Wales UK

Kinesiology and Health Science The College of New Jersey Ewing NJ USA

Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health Porto Portugal

Menzies Institute for Medical Research University of Tasmania Hobart TAS Australia

Murdoch Children's Research Institute University of Melbourne Parkville Melbourne VIC Australia

Navarrabiomed Hospital Universitario de Navarra Pamplona Navarra Spain

Population Health Sciences Institute Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK

PROFITH PROmoting FITness and Health Through Physical Activity Research Group Sport and Health University Research Institute Department of Physical and Sports Education Faculty of Sport Sciences University of Granada Granada Spain

Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine University of Turku Turku Finland

Research Institute for Health and Sport Science Nippon Sport Science University Tokyo Japan

School of Epidemiology and Public Health University of Ottawa Ottawa ON Canada

School of Exercise Science Physical and Health Education University of Victoria Victoria BC Canada

School of Human Kinetics University of Ottawa Ottawa ON Canada

School of Kinesiology and Health Studies Queen's University Kingston ON Canada

School of Physical Education and Sport Training Shanghai University of Sport Shanghai China

Shanghai Research Center for Physical Fitness and Health of Children and Adolescents Shanghai University of Sport Shanghai China

Sports Center Federal University of Santa Catarina Florianópolis SC Brazil

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