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 .
Differences in Aerobic Fitness and Lifestyle Characteristics in Preschoolers according to their Weight Status and Sports Club Participation
Objective : This study assesses differences in adiposity , aerobic fitness , and lifestyle characteristics in preschoolers according to their weight status and sports club ( SC ) participation . Method : As part of the Ballabeina study , 600 r and omly selected preschoolers ( mean age 5.1 ± 0.6 years ; 50.2 % girls ) were analyzed . Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance , aerobic fitness by the 20-meter shuttle run test , and physical activity by accelerometers . Eating habits , media use , and SC participation were assessed by question naires . Results : Overweight children ( Swiss national percentiles ) and children not participating in SC had both lower aerobic fitness and higher % body fat compared to their respective counterparts ( all p ≤ 0.028 ) . In addition , children not participating in SC were less physically active , had more media use , and ate less healthy compared to children participating in SC ( all p ≤ 0.023 ) . Controlling for parental sociocultural determinants attenuated differences in % body fat , in physical activity , and in eating habits . Conclusion : Aerobic fitness differs both according to weight status and SC participation in preschoolers . Furthermore , in view of the many differences in lifestyle behaviors , SC participation at this age could represent a more discriminatory indicator of healthy lifestyle characteristics than weight status
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 .