Physical Fitness Testing of Children: A European Perspective

The purpose of this article is to clarify the scientific basis of physical fitness assessment in children and to review the European efforts to develop a EUROFIT fitness test battery for the youth in the countries of the Council of Europe. The development of EUROFIT is based on the efforts made in the United States in the 1950s and in Europe in the 1980s. Physical fitness measurement is not identical to physiological measurement: The EUROFIT tests are aimed at measuring abilities rather than skills. Correlations between physical fitness tests and physiological laboratory tests show varying results and, therefore, need to be continued. Reliability of fitness tests needs to be continually studied. Because of the multipurposes of physical fitness testing, EUROFIT norm- and criterion-referenced scales for EUROFIT have to be developed. Examples of scaling methods are given. Implementation of the EUROFIT fitness tests for educational purposes is urgently needed.

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The importance of standard operating procedures in physical fitness assessment: a brief review

Sport Sciences for Health ◽

10.1007/s11332-021-00849-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Luca Petrigna ◽

Simona Pajaujiene ◽

Anne Delextrat ◽

Manuel Gómez-López ◽

Antonio Paoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Fitness ◽

Web Of Science ◽

Standard Operating Procedures ◽

Fitness Testing ◽

Exclusion Criteria ◽

Fitness Assessment ◽

Standard Operating ◽

The Future ◽

Physical Fitness Testing ◽

Testing Protocols

Abstract Background Physical fitness status is a key aspect of health and, consequently, it is important to create and adopt appropriate interventions to maintain or improve it, and assess it using valid measures. While in other testing contexts, standard operating procedures (SOPs) are commonly and widely adopted, in physical fitness testing, a variety of unstandardized testing protocols are proposed. Aims The topic of this review was to evaluate the existing literature on SOPs in physical fitness assessment and to provide guidelines on how SOPs could be created and adopted. Method The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were screened and original, peer-reviewed studies that included SOPs, related to physical fitness, were recorded. Results After the inclusion and exclusion criteria screening, a total of six studies were included and these were critically and narratively analyzed. Conclusions Standard operating procedures are rarely adopted in the field of physical fitness and a step by step guide has been provided in this manuscript. In the future, it is suggested to follow protocols as a routine, because this is the only way to generalize and contextualize findings.

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Large-Scale Youth Physical Fitness Testing in the United States: A 25-Year Retrospective Review

Pediatric Exercise Science ◽

10.1123/pes.25.4.515 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 515-523 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Russell R. Pate ◽

Gregory J. Welk ◽

Kerry L. McIver

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Retrospective Review ◽

Large Scale ◽

The United States ◽

Fitness Testing ◽

Physical Fitness Testing

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Conceptual Framework for the Brockport Physical Fitness Test

Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly ◽

10.1123/apaq.22.4.323 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 323-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Joseph P. Winnick ◽

Francis X. Short

Keyword(s):

Physical Fitness ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Fitness Testing ◽

Physical Fitness Test ◽

Fitness Test ◽

Test Items ◽

Health Related ◽

Physical Fitness Testing ◽

Criterion Referenced ◽

Selection Of

In this manuscript, the conceptual framework for the Brockport Physical Fitness Test (BPFT) is presented. The framework provides the basis for the selection of test items and standards to assess health-related physical fitness of youngsters with disabilities. The framework defines and describes the relationships among health, physical activity, and health-related physical fitness and presents the process used for personalizing health-related criterion-referenced physical fitness testing and assessment for youngsters with disabilities.

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