摘要
Background:Physicalfitness in childhood and adolescence is associated with a variety of health outcomes and is a powerful marker of current and future health.However,inconsistencies in tests and protocols limit international monitoring and surveillance.The objective of the study was to seek international consensus on a proposed,evidence-informed,Youth Fitness International Test(YFIT)battery and protocols for health monitoring and surveillance in children and adolescents aged 618 years.Methods:We conducted an international modified Delphi study to evaluate the level of agreement with a proposed,evidence-based,YFIT of core health-relatedfitness tests and protocols to be used worldwide in 6-to 18-year-olds.This proposal was based on previous European and North American projects that systematically reviewed the existing evidence to identify the most valid,reliable,health-related,safe,and feasiblefitness tests to be used in children and adolescents aged 618 years.We designed a single-panel modified Delphi study and invited 216 experts from all around the world to answer this Delphi survey,of whom one-third are from low-to-middle income countries and one-third are women.Four experts were involved in the piloting of the survey and did not participate in the main Delphi study to avoid bias.We pre-defined an agreement of 80%among the expert participants to achieve consensus.Results:We obtained a high response rate(78%)with a total of 169fitness experts from 50 countries and territories,including 63 women and 61 experts from low-or middle-income countries/territories.Consensus(>85%agreement)was achieved for all proposed tests and protocols,supporting the YFIT battery,which includes weight and height(to compute body mass index as a proxy of body size/composition),the 20-m shuttle run(cardiorespiratoryfitness),handgrip strength,and standing long jump(muscularfitness).Conclusion:This study contributes to standardizingfitness tests and protocols used for research,monitoring,and surveillance across the world,which will allow for future data pooling and the development of international and regional sex-and age-specific reference values,health-related cut-points,and a global picture offitness among children and adolescents.
基金
supported by the Grant PID2020-120249RB-I00
PID2023-148404OB-100funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033
by the Andalusian Government(Junta de Andalucía,Plan Andaluz de Investigación,ref.P20_00124)
by the Erasmus+Sport Programme of the European Union within the project FitBack4Literacy(No.101089829)
Additional support is provided by the University of Granada,Plan Propio de Inves-tigación,Units of Excellence
Unit of Excellence on Exercise,Nutrition and Health(UCEENS)
by theCIBERobn Physiopa-thology of Obesity and Nutrition,and by the Spanish Network in Exercise and Health,EXERNET Network(RED2022-134800-Tand EXP_99828).
