OBJECTIVES: (1) To develop reference values for health-related fitness in European children and adolescents aged 6-18 years that are the foundation for the web-based, open-access and multilanguage fitness platform (FitBack); (2) to provide comparisons across European countries. METHODS: This study builds on a previous large fitness reference study in European youth by (1) widening the age demographic, (2) identifying the most recent and representative country-level data and (3) including national data from existing fitness surveillance and monitoring systems. We used the Assessing Levels of PHysical Activity and fitness at population level (ALPHA) test battery as it comprises tests with the highest test-retest reliability, criterion/construct validity and health-related predictive validity: the 20 m shuttle run (cardiorespiratory fitness); handgrip strength and standing long jump (muscular strength); and body height, body mass, body mass index and waist circumference (anthropometry). Percentile values were obtained using the generalised additive models for location, scale and shape method. RESULTS: A total of 7 966 693 test results from 34 countries (106 datasets) were used to develop sex-specific and age-specific percentile values. In addition, country-level rankings based on mean percentiles are provided for each fitness test, as well as an overall fitness ranking. Finally, an interactive fitness platform, including individual and group reporting and European fitness maps, is provided and freely available online (www.fitbackeurope.eu). CONCLUSION: This study discusses the major implications of fitness assessment in youth from health, educational and sport perspectives, and how the FitBack reference values and interactive web-based platform contribute to it. Fitness testing can be conducted in school and/or sport settings, and the interpreted results be integrated in the healthcare systems across Europe.
- MeSH
- Exercise MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Body Mass Index MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Reference Values MeSH
- Reproducibility of Results MeSH
- Hand Strength * MeSH
- Physical Fitness * MeSH
- Exercise Test methods MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Geographic variability of children fatness and fitness is important for understanding the effects of various distinct lifestyles of young people. The purpose of this study is to compare the physical fitness of girls in capitals of two western Balkan countries: Serbia and Slovenia. The cluster sample of 138 subjects consists of 13-year-old primary school girls from Belgrade and Ljubljana. All subjects were measured in the 2006/2007 academic year. Data from the Eurofit system were used in the analysis. A multivariate analysis of variance has shown that there are statistically significant (p<0.001) differences between the countries for the entire set of tested motor and morphological variables. The girls from Ljubljana are more physically fit in comparison to girls from Belgrade despite there are negligible differences in body weight and BMI among them. Yet girls from both capitals have above-average cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m endurance shuttle-run) and lower-limb explosive strength (standing broad jump) compared to their counterparts from elsewhere in Europe (Ortega et al., 2011). Girls from Ljubljana scored around the 85th percentile of tests performance values, while Belgrade girls were in the 75th percentile in cardiorespiratory fitness and the 55th percentile in lower-limb explosive strength.
- Keywords
- pohybové dovednosti, BMI, Eurofit test, bývalá Jugoslávie, geografické faktory,
- MeSH
- Exercise MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Body Mass Index MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Urban Population * MeSH
- Motor Skills MeSH
- Cross-Sectional Studies MeSH
- Socioeconomic Factors MeSH
- Statistics as Topic MeSH
- Students * MeSH
- Physical Fitness * physiology MeSH
- Cities MeSH
- Exercise Test statistics & numerical data MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Comparative Study MeSH
- Geographicals
- Slovenia MeSH
- Serbia MeSH
- Cities MeSH
