Inter-Rater Agreement and Test-Retest Reliability of the Performance and Fitness (PERF-FIT) Test Battery for Children: A Test for Motor Skill Related Fitness.
Abstract Background: The Performance and Fitness (PERF-FIT) test battery for children is a recently developed, valid assessment tool for measuring motor skill-related physical fitness in 5 to 12-year-old children living in low-income settings. The aim of this study was to determine: (1) inter-rater agreement and (2) test-retest reliability of the PERF-FIT in children from 3 different countries (Ghana, South Africa and the Netherlands). Method: For inter-rater reliability 29 children, (16 boys and 13 girls, 6-10 years) were scored by 2 raters simultaneously. For test–retest reliability 72 children, (33 boys and 39 girls, 5-12 years) performed the test twice, minimally one week and maximally two weeks apart. Relative and absolute reliability indices were calculated. ANOVA was used to examine differences between the three assessor teams in the three countries.Results: The PERF-FIT demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC, 0.99) and good test-retest reliability (ICC, ≥ 0.80) for 11 of the 12 tasks. a poor ICC was found for the Jumping item only, due to low spread in values. Overall, measurement error, Limits of Agreement and Coefficient of Variation had acceptable levels to support clinical use. No systematic differences were found between first and second measurement between the three countries but for one item (Overhead throw). Conclusions: The PERF-FIT can reliably measure motor skill related fitness in 5 to 12-year-old children in different settings and help clinicians monitor levels of power and agility, and fundamental motor skills (throwing, bouncing, catching, jumping, hopping and balance).