TY - JOUR
T1 - European fitness landscape for children and adolescents
T2 - updated reference values, fitness maps and country rankings based on nearly 8 million test results from 34 countries gathered by the FitBack network
AU - FitBack, HELENA and IDEFICS consortia
AU - Ortega, Francisco B.
AU - Leskošek, Bojan
AU - Blagus, Rok
AU - Gil-Cosano, José J.
AU - Mäestu, Jarek
AU - Tomkinson, Grant R.
AU - Ruiz, Jonatan R.
AU - Mäestu, Evelin
AU - Starc, Gregor
AU - Milanovic, Ivana
AU - Tammelin, Tuija H.
AU - Sorić, Maroje
AU - Scheuer, Claude
AU - Carraro, Attilio
AU - Kaj, M. nika
AU - Csányi, Tamás
AU - Sardinha, Luis B.
AU - Lenoir, Matthieu
AU - Emeljanovas, Arunas
AU - Mieziene, Brigita
AU - Sidossis, Labros S.
AU - Pihu, Maret
AU - Lovecchio, Nicola
AU - Konstabel, Kenn
AU - Tambalis, Konstantinos D.
AU - Štefan, Lovro
AU - Drenowatz, Clemens
AU - Rubín, Lukáš
AU - Gontarev, Seryozha
AU - Castro-Piñero, José
AU - Vanhelst, J. rémy
AU - O'Keeffe, Brendan
AU - Veiga, Oscar L.
AU - Gisladottir, Thordis
AU - Sandercock, Gavin
AU - Misigoj-Durakovic, Marjeta
AU - Niessner, Claudia
AU - Riso, Eva-Maria
AU - Popovic, Stevo
AU - Kuu, Saima
AU - Chinapaw, Mai
AU - Clavel, Iván
AU - Labayen, Idoia
AU - Dobosz, Janusz
AU - Colella, Dario
AU - Kriemler, Susi
AU - Salaj, Sanja
AU - Noriega, Maria Jose
AU - Bös, Klaus
AU - Sánchez-López, Mairena
N1 - Funding Information: As the next step to the ALPHA project, the European Commission funded the FitBack consortium ( www.fitbackeurope.eu ), representing the European Network for the Support of Development of Systems for Monitoring Physical Fitness of Children and Adolescents. The major goal of the network is to take an important step toward the implementation of fitness surveillance and monitoring across Europe as an educational tool for physical literacy. The final output of the FitBack project has been the development of a web-based, open-access and multilanguage fitness platform which allows the results of fitness testing to be automatically and interactively interpreted based on sex-specific and age-specific reference values and is supported by user-friendly visual feedback and tips for improvement. For this purpose, we gathered available fitness data on European children and adolescents. Previous fitness reference values published were mostly from individual countries (see references in ) or multicentre EU projects (eg, IDEFICS - Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects in Children and infantS - and HELENA - Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence - projects) collecting data in one to two cities per country. The study by Tomkinson and colleagues provided the first European reference values that included numerous countries and covered a wide age demographic (subjects 9–17 years old). However, until now, European reference values have not covered all school-age children (primary, secondary and high school) from age 6 years to 18 years. Also, the writing group was aware of nationally representative fitness monitoring systems and large datasets not included in Tomkinson’s study, indicating the need to update existing reference values. There was also a pressing need to develop an automated, freely accessible web platform containing these normative values to facilitate the interpretation of sex-specific and age-specific fitness test results. Funding Information: This research was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Sport Programme of the European Union within the project FitBack No 613010-EPP-1-2019-1-SI-SPO-SCP and Slovenian Research Agency within the Research programme Bio-psycho-social context of kinesiology (number P5-0142). FBO, JJG-C, JRR and IL are supported by the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación, Visiting Scholar grants and Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise, Nutrition and Health and by the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades and European Regional Development Fund (SOMM17/6107/UGR) and CIBERobn Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition. Publisher Copyright: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
PY - 2023/3/1
Y1 - 2023/3/1
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - physical endurance
KW - physical fitness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85148307223&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106176
DO - https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106176
M3 - Article
C2 - 36623866
SN - 1473-0480
VL - 57
SP - 299
EP - 310
JO - British Journal of Sports Medicine
JF - British Journal of Sports Medicine
IS - 5
ER -