Conceptual Framework for the Brockport Physical Fitness Test

In this manuscript, the conceptual framework for the Brockport Physical Fitness Test (BPFT) is presented. The framework provides the ba.sis 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 ssessment for youngsters with disabilities

The relationship between physical activity, motor competence and health-related fitness in 14-year-old adolescents

Physical activity, physical fitness, and motor competence are important health-related constructs. However, the relationship between them, particularly among children and adolescents, is still unclear. In this study, motor competence (measured by the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development), pedometer-determined physical activity and physical fitness (aerobic fitness, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and body composition) were examined in a cohort of 1585 adolescents (771 girls, 814 boys) of mean age 14.1 yrs. Significant gender differences were observed for all measures except motor competence. Apart from hip and shoulder flexibility, males outperformed females. For both males and females, motor competence was associated with all fitness measures, physical activity was associated only with aerobic fitness and aerobic fitness was associated with physical activity, motor competence, BMI and chest pass. Among males, aerobic fitness was also associated with all other fitness tests. The correlations were, in general, moderate to weak. The results challenge the current focus on physical activity rather than physical fitness as the preferred intervention

A comparative study on different BMI category and physical fitness health related component of sedentary male youth in Terengganu

This study aims to compare the physical fitness health related component on three different BMI category (underweight-UG; normal-NG and obese-OG) of sedentary male youth in Terengganu. 223 sedentary male youth of Terengganu (age 17.4±1.9) categorize into three groups based on BMI index value. Five physical fitness health related component (VO2max, one minute sit up and push up, V sit and reach and 20 meter speed) are measured in all groups. Multivariate Analysis of variance revealed that there is significant different between three BMI groups on physical fitness health related components F (10, 434) = 6.24, P < 0.0001. Thus, the current study shows an evidence to improve health, enhancement in each physical fitness health related components must be concentrated instead of correcting BMI alone.Keywords: BMI; physical fitness health related; obesit

The Health Related Components of Physical Fitness in People with Visual Impairment: A Systematic Review

Visual impairment is becoming progressively more common in America’s aging society. Physical inactivity contributes to the development of chronic health conditions. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between visual impairment and its impact on health related physical activity and fitness. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the prevalence of physical activity and the five components of physical fitness in the visually impaired population. This review was limited to articles addressing individuals with “visual impairment,” as defined by the National Eye Institute. The data abstracted included documentation of visual impairment, physical activity rates, physical fitness measures, gender, age, number of participants, and sample size. Results confirm that persons with visual impairment tend to participate in physical activity significantly less than their sighted counterparts and are often less physically fit, especially in regards to body composition, cardiovascular endurance, and muscular strength. Consensus within the research attributes this decreased physical fitness to the lack of sufficient physical activity within the population. The observed lack of physical activity warrants intentionally improving upon the many physiopsychological and social factors which prevent visually impaired children and adults from having equal access to opportunities to engage regularly in physical fitness activities

Fit Into College: A Program to Improve Physical Activity and Dietary Intake Lifestyles Among College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a 10-week program could improve physical activity, physical fitness, body weight, dietary intake, and perceptions of exercise and diet among college 30 healthy college freshmen. Outcomes were measured at baseline, and following the 10-week program. The weekly sessions incorporated constructs of the Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavior Change and were administered by fitness interns who were junior or senior college students enrolled in health-related majors. The participants presented with low physical activity, physical fitness, and poor dietary intake, and 50% were overweight/obese (BMI \u3e 25). Participants demonstrated gains in their physical fitness and their perceived benefits to engaging in exercise and decreased their perceived barriers to engaging in exercise and a healthy diet. College freshmen presented with low levels of physical activity, poor dietary intake, and excess body weight. A peer-administered program can improve these measures and favorably change perceptions of exercise and diet

Fit and Healthy in Middle Adulthood – Do Fitness Levels Make a Difference

Strong evidence exists that fitness is a physical health resource, which serves to protect one’s health. There is still uncertainty about which fitness level provides the best health outcome and which measurements can be used for analyzing this question. This cross-sectional study analyzed 462 (64.07% female) German middle-aged adults regarding their fitness status, physical activity (Non-Exercise test), body composition (Body Mass Index) and heart-related health status. Motor tests were used to measure the health-related fitness status. The heart-related health status was surveyed by questionnaire and diagnosis was done in part by a physician. Relationships between risk factors and fitness factors are visible during the correlative analysis. They are substantially more visible in the differentiation of people with and without risks. People with low fitness show noticeable risks in activity, Body Mass Index and heart-related health. People with high fitness show health resources for activity, Body Mass Index and heart-related health. This study points out that all fitness dimensions influence one’s heart-related health in a positive way. Fitness is measured objectively and includes all health-related fitness dimensions such as endurance, strength, coordination and flexibility. Apart from this standardization, we ask for more longitudinal studies and more objective health measurements

Associations Among Perceived Motor Competence, Motor Competence, Physical Activity, and Health-Related Physical Fitness of Children Ages 10-15 Years Old.

Purpose: To examine the associations among perceived motor competence (PMC), motor competence (MC), physical activity, and health-related physical fitness during middle childhood and early adolescence. Method: Participants were 47, 10-15 year old youth. Each participant completed two visits in East Tennessee or northwest Ohio. During these visits, the participants completed the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test (BOT-2) Analysis Test for Motor Proficiency, Harter’s PMC questionnaire, and the FITNESSGRAM battery for health-related physical fitness. The Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer was used to measure physical activity. Results: There were significant associations among health-related physical fitness and both motor percentile (rs = 0.44, p \u3c 0.01) and PMC (rs = 0.32, p \u3c 0.05). An association was found among PMC and MC (rs = 0.47, p \u3c 0.05). There were no significant associations among average daily MVPA and any of the other variables. Conclusions: High MC and PMC appear to be associated with higher levels of health-related physical fitness. It is important for children to learn fundamental motor skills to possibly participate in more complex motor skills related to physical fitness and for children to be encouraged in a positive manner while participating in physical activity to possibly increase their PMC

PHYSICAL FITNESS ASSESSMENT IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Physical fitness is a key indicator of health in children and adolescents and can predict the health status in the later phases of an individual’s life. Physical fitness has a multidimensional structure and can be assessed through its different components: body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, musculoskeletal fitness, motor fitness, and flexibility. There are more than fifteen health-related physical fitness test batteries which are used worldwide. The aim of this study was to analyse the most widely implemented field-based test batteries for assessing physical fitness and their ability to represent the relationship between the physical fitness components and the health of children and adolescents. The analyses of the literature showed that the test batteries ‘Eurofit’, ‘FitnessGram’ and ‘Alpha-fit’ are the most widely applied. The components and the tests which are included in these batteries were presented in detail, as well as the applicability of the implementation of these tests within the framework of a school programme. The newly proposed test battery ‘PREFIT’ appears to be the only one for assessing pre-school children between the ages of three and five.Conclusion: the physical fitness assessment of children and adolescents presents us with vital information which can be utilised to maintain and improve children’s health. Therefore, it is of particular importance for schools to implement health-related physical fitness test batteries which are in accordance with the age of the participants and best reflect the relationship between physical fitness and their health.  Article visualizations

Physical fitness, cognitive functioning and academic achievement in healthy adolescents

Purpose: Examine the association between health-related physical fitness (cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular fitness) and skill-related physical fitness (speed-agility) and both cognitive functions and academic achievement in adolescents (12–15 years). Methods: Data of 423 Dutch adolescents were analyzed (46.8% boys, age = 13.45 ± 0.43 years). Physical fitness was assessed using five subtests of the Eurofit test battery measuring cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m Shuttle Run Test), muscular fitness (Broad Jump and Sit-Ups) and speed-agility (10 × 5 m Shuttle Run Test and Plate Tapping Test). Cognitive functions were assessed by the Digit Span Task, the Grid Task and an adapted version of the Attention Network Test. Finally, academic achievement was assessed by two standardized tests assessing mathematic skills and language skills. Multilevel regression analyses were performed in MlWin to examine the relations of interest adjusting for sex and age. Results: Multilevel regression analysis showed that speed-agility was significantly related to visuospatial working memory (β = 0.159; p = 0.014), information processing and control (β = 0.238; p < 0.001) and interference control (β = 0.156; p = 0.039), but not to the other cognitive or academic achievement outcomes. Cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular fitness were not related to any of the cognitive or academic achievement outcomes. Conclusion: The results suggest that skill-related physical fitness is related to cognitive functions and health-related physical fitness is not. Therefore it can be argued that improved levels of skill-related physical fitness may lead to improved cognitive functioning

Association between Health-Related Physical Fitness and Self-Rated Risk of Depression in Adolescents: Dados Study

Depression is the most common mental disorder, affecting around 5% of adolescents. Physical fitness is considered a powerful marker of physical and mental health. The scientific results on the relationship between physical fitness and depression in the adolescent population are mixed. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to analyse the association between objectively assessed physical fitness and self-rated risk of depression in a group of adolescents. A total of 225 participants (44% girls), aged 13.9 ± 0.3 years, from the Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud (DADOS) study were included in the analyses. Field-based Assessing Levels of Physical fitness and Health in Adolescents (ALPHA) health-related fitness test battery was used to objectively assess physical fitness components. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) level 3 was used to evaluate self-rated risk of depression. Our results showed that self-rated risk of depression was inversely associated with cardiorespiratory fitness (β = −0.172), as well as positively associated with body mass index (β = 0.146) and waist circumference (β = 0.137) (all p < 0.05). Adolescents with low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness had significantly higher odds of self-rated risk of depression (OR = 7.17; 95% CI, 1.51–33.95). These findings suggest that health-related physical fitness, particularly cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition, is associated with depression in adolescents