Motor fitness , particularly balance , was the most studied fitness component , while cardiorespiratory fitness was the least studied .
While we wait for more evidence to be accumulated in preschool children , the PREFIT battery hereby proposed is a useful tool for assessing physical fitness in children aged 3–5 years
Background Physical fitness is a powerful health marker in childhood and adolescence , and it is reasonable to think that it might be just as important in younger children , i.e. preschoolers .
At the moment , research ers , clinicians and sport practitioners do not have enough information about which fitness tests are more reliable , valid and informative from the health point of view to be implemented in preschool children .
Objective Our aim was to systematic ally review the studies conducted in preschool children using field-based fitness tests , and examine their ( 1 ) reliability , ( 2 ) validity , and ( 3 ) relationship with health outcomes .
Our ultimate goal was to propose a field-based physical fitness-test battery to be used in preschool children .
After analyzing the information retrieved in the current systematic review about fitness testing in preschool children , we propose the PREFIT battery , field-based FITness testing in PREschool children .
Hand span influences optimal grip span in boys and girls aged 6 to 12 years.
PURPOSE The first aim was to determine whether there is an optimal grip span for determining the maximum h and grip strength in boys and girls aged 6 to 12 years and whether the optimal grip span was related to h and span . If so , the second aim was to derive a mathematical equation relating h and span and optimal grip span . METHODS A total of 123 boys ( 9 y + /- 2 ) and 70 girls ( 8 y + /- 2 ) were evaluated . Each h and was r and omly tested on 10 occasions using 5 different grip spans , allowing a 1-minute rest between attempts . The  h and span  was measured from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger with the h and opened widely . RESULTS An optimal grip span to determine maximum h and grip strength was identified for both genders . H and span and optimal grip span showed a significant linear association in the studied children . The equation relating grip span as a function of h and span in boys is formulated as y = x/4 + 0.44 and in girls as y = 0.3x - 0.52 , where x is the h and span ( maximal width between first and fifth fingers ) and y is the optimal grip span . CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that there is an optimal grip span to which the dynamometer should be adjusted when measuring h and grip strength in children . The optimal grip span was influenced by h and span in both genders
Motor fitness , particularly balance , was the most studied fitness component , while cardiorespiratory fitness was the least studied .
While we wait for more evidence to be accumulated in preschool children , the PREFIT battery hereby proposed is a useful tool for assessing physical fitness in children aged 3–5 years
Background Physical fitness is a powerful health marker in childhood and adolescence , and it is reasonable to think that it might be just as important in younger children , i.e. preschoolers .
At the moment , research ers , clinicians and sport practitioners do not have enough information about which fitness tests are more reliable , valid and informative from the health point of view to be implemented in preschool children .
Objective Our aim was to systematic ally review the studies conducted in preschool children using field-based fitness tests , and examine their ( 1 ) reliability , ( 2 ) validity , and ( 3 ) relationship with health outcomes .
Our ultimate goal was to propose a field-based physical fitness-test battery to be used in preschool children .
After analyzing the information retrieved in the current systematic review about fitness testing in preschool children , we propose the PREFIT battery , field-based FITness testing in PREschool children .