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

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.

ANALYSIS OF PHYSICAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR CADETS IN US MILITARY ACADEMY WEST POINT

The article offers the analysis of the physical training Program for cadets in the US Military Academy West Point. Recently, Ukraine gained access to the best military experience of NATO. An important factor in strengthening the combat potential of the army is the future officers’ physical training. The analysis of the physical training Program for cadets in the US Military Academy West Point will allow the gradual implementation of NATO standards in higher military education in Ukraine. West Point accepts boys and girls, U.S. citizens, ages 17-22. Applicants are recommended to pass the camp Summer Leaders Experience. The governing body that organizes, implements and controls the entire process of physical education is the Department of Physical Education. The guiding document for the entire process of physical education is the physical training Program. The strategic goals laid down in the physical training Program are: cadet skills, teaching staff responsibilities, military skills, program implementation. The physical training Program consists of three sections: the physical education curriculum or "training course"; physical fitness testing; and participation in sports competitions. The first section in the Program has three main courses for cadets’ working: basic motor activities; basic fitness; and daily physical activity. The second section in the Program is regular physical fitness testing, it provides cadets the opportunity to demonstrate personal physical perfection and emphasizes the importance of physical fitness for a military profession. The third section in the Program is participation in competitions, it encourages each cadet during every semester to participate in competitions according to their own abilities and interests: team, club, Inter-academic. The physical education curriculum has four levels for cadets’ training. The transition to a new level is allowed only if a cadet meets all the standards from the previous level. The fourth level provides the development of self-confidence that gives cadets the opportunity to meet the requirements of the Academy and the army in physical training in the future. The third level ensures cadets’ development of basic competence in movement and water skills. The second level designs a final combat experience that is closely related to the Army combat program in the modern army. The first level provides the culmination in one of many cycles in cadet’s physical activity that is cadet’s physical movement throughout life.

Critical Evaluation of the Case for Pausing California’s School-based Fitness Testing

Objective: We undertook a literature review to evaluate the evidence for an association among school-based fitness testing and bullying, weight-based teasing (WBT), and/or gender discrimination. Methods: We searched the peer-reviewed literature using PubMed, ERIC and GOOGLE Scholar to identify articles related to school-based physical fitness testing (K-12) on the one hand and bullying, WBT, and/or gender discrimination on the other. Results: We identified 12 studies on the impact of school-based physical fitness testing (PFT) on bullying and WBT. These studies do not support the assertion that PFT places students at elevated risk for bullying and/or WBT as compared to other school settings. There is a dearth of studies investigating an association between PFT and gender discrimination. Conclusions: The concerns about PFT as a widespread cause of bullying and WBT are not supported by the evidence. It is likely that school climate is a stronger determinant overall of these negative student interactions and that more rigorous teacher training would ameliorate student concerns about fitness testing. Nevertheless, more rigorous research is warranted to determine with confidence that PFT does not elevate students’ risks for bullying and WBT and to examine the risks for students with non-binary gender.

Predictive Validity of the Single Leg Hamstring Bridge Test in Military Settings

The hamstrings are biarticular muscle group that plays an important role in the occupational performance of military personnel. The single leg hamstring bridge test (SLHBT) could be a good test to screen military personnel performance. The aims of our study were to assess the reproducibility of the SLHBT in the military population and to use receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis to examine the ability of the SLHBT to discriminate between soldiers with poor and good baseline fitness. A cross-sectional study was performed on 201 male members of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF). They undertook army physical fitness testing (APFT) and functional physical fitness testing (FPFT), which included the SLHBT. The SLHBT showed acceptable reproducibility in a military setting and had moderate predictive validity to discriminate between soldiers with poor and good overall physical fitness performance using a cut-off value of 20 repetitions. In conclusion, the SLHBT could be a good candidate test for the military population as the ROC analysis showed the ability of the SLHBT to discriminate between soldiers with poor and good baseline fitness. The SLHBT represents a simple and affordable test that can be used to evaluate performance and form preventive guidelines for military personnel.

Physical Fitness Testing and Screening Reveal a Gateway to Identify Locomotive Disorders: Retrospective Study of a Japanese Elementary School Population

This retrospective epidemiological study investigated the relationship between physical fitness testing and locomotive disorder screening results among elementary school children in Japan. The test and screening results of 1033 children from a single elementary school between 2016 and 2018 were examined. Multiple regression analysis was performed for each gender of children of grades third and fourth to generate receiver-operating characteristic curves. Of the 69 children with parent-identified locomotor problems, 29 (42%) had physical fitness test score of mean ± 2 SD. For the standing long jump test in fourth grade girls, the results differed significantly ( P < .001; cut-off, 127 cm) for children whose parents did (n = 7) and did not (n = 84) suspect a possible locomotive disorder. Physical fitness testing in combination with school-based screening for locomotive disorders may be useful for identifying and accurately diagnosing these disorders in children.

21st Century: Physical Fitness of School Age Students

Physical fitness is considered as a process of directed development of physical qualities, contributing to the formation of the necessary range of motor skills and abilities. The study of students’ physical fitness was conducted by gender. Physical fitness testing was carried out according to the guidelines developed by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus. The study of physical qualities showed that the maximum increases of the indicators of physical fitness being studied do not always coincide with the rates of puberty, however, in general, the biological development of adolescents is determined by gender differences in the dynamics of physical fitness. An integral assessment of the general physical fitness of schoolchildren showed that students of all age groups, regardless gender, are at the average level of physical fitness when they are involved in sports.

Dynamics of the Physical Fitness Status in Students 17-18 years of the “Tourism” Specialized Field during a Trans-Season Stage

The research aimed to study dynamics of the physical fitness status in students of the “Tourism” specialized field during a trans-season stage. Totally 100 university students studying “Tourism” as a business service were involved into the physical fitness testing (48 males and 52 females). A half of the participants studied in the Classic University and another half − in the Sport University. Monthly testing was conducted seven times from September to March using a complex test Kontreks–2. The scoring system consists of eleven indicators: five of them are biomedical: age, body weight, blood pressure, heart rate, reducing pulse; a six – motor: flexibility, speed, dynamic power, power, speed and overall endurance. Linear regression was used with a purpose to study trends of the physical fitness during the trans-season stage. Two-ways ANOVA was used to determine differences between samples. One-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to evaluate test-retest reliability (ICC=0.094). A significant superiority of students from the Sport University vs. Classic University was noticed during the seven months preparation stage (17.6%, p<0.001) that is important in managing of the sport and healthy active tourism. Despite of this absolute difference, dynamics of these results was rather similar in these two universities (61.3%).

Relationships among Leisure Physical Activity, Sedentary Lifestyle, Physical Fitness, and Happiness in Adults 65 Years or Older in Taiwan

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship among leisure physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, physical fitness, and happiness in healthy elderly adults aged over 65 years old in Taiwan. Data were recruited from the National Physical Fitness Survey in Taiwan, which was proposed in the Project on the Establishment of Physical Fitness Testing Stations by the Sports Administration of the Ministry of Education. Participants were recruited from fitness testing stations set up in 22 counties and cities from October 2015 to May 2016. A total of 20,111 healthy older adults aged 65–102 years were recruited as research participants. The fitness testing procedure was described to all participants, who were provided with a standardized structured questionnaire. Participants’ data included sex, city or county of residence, living status (living together with others or living alone), education level, and income. Physical fitness testing was conducted in accordance with The Fitness Guide for Older Adults published by the Sports Administration of the Ministry of Education. The testing involved cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility, balance, and body composition. The t-test was used to evaluate the differences between continuous and grade variables under the two classification variables of sex, city or county of residence, and living status. We used the MARS (multivariate adaptive regression splines) model to analyze the effects of physical fitness variables and leisure physical activity variables on happiness. Among healthy elderly adults, sex, age, living status, body mass index, and leisure physical activity habits proved to be related to happiness. Aerobic endurance (2-min step test), muscular strength and endurance (30-s arm curl and 30-s chair stand tests), flexibility (back stretch and chair sit-and-reach tests), and balance ability (8-foot up-and-go tests and one-leg stance with eyes open tests) were found to be related to happiness. The results of this study indicate that increased physical activity and intensity, as well as physical fitness performance, are associated with improved happiness.

Trans-Season Reliability of Physical Fitness Testing in Students of “Tourism” Speciality

The study purpose was to prepare a model of the trans-season reliability of physical fitness testing on the example of “Tourism” speciality students. Material and Methods. A total of 50 university first year bachelor’s students studying “Tourism” as a business service were involved in the physical fitness testing: 20 males with body mass 67.3±9.5 kg (M±SD) and body length 174.6±5.6 cm; and 30 females (body mass 59.6±7.3 kg, body length 163.9±5.2 cm). Monthly testing was conducted seven times from September to March using a complex test KONTREKS–2. Trans-season mean score reliability was evaluated within the intraclass correlation model. Results. Approximately 86% of the students were found to be on the average and higher levels and only nearly 5% − on the low level. Males showed significantly better state of the physical fitness than females (16.6%, p < 0.002) with 96.3% similarity of trends in scores between males and females during the trans-season study. A great variation within these samples was noticed, too; a corresponding part in the total variation was derived as 93.6%. A strong and high level significant correlation (r > 0.80, p < 0.001) was determined between all the seven monthly test-retest trans-season trials. Significant trans-season reliability on the excellent level was found for each of two gender samples (ICC > 0.95, p < 0.001). Deviations from mean values for seven monthly tests undertaken during the study period were not significant (chi-squared = 13.939, p = 0.834). Conclusions. A model of the trans-season reliability of physical fitness testing created on the example of the first year bachelor’s students of “Tourism” speciality showed its effectiveness and could be recommended for physical education of high school students.