title: Health promotion intervention in low socioeconomic kindergarten children. Effect of multidimensional lifestyle intervention on fitness and adiposity in predominantly migrant preschool children (Ballabeina): cluster randomised controlled trial Hand span influences optimal grip span in male and female teenagers. Improvements in fitness reduce the risk of becoming overweight across puberty. Relationships among Age, Sex, and Lateral Dominance for 3- to 6-Year-Old Children Performing Unilateral Stance Differences in Aerobic Fitness and Lifestyle Characteristics in Preschoolers according to their Weight Status and Sports Club Participation Age band 1 of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition: exploring its usefulness in mainland China. The reliability of distance run tests for children in grades K-4. Interrater Reliability and Time Measurement Validity of Speed–Agility Field Tests in Adolescents Methods of the NSW Schools Fitness and Physical Activity Survey, 1997. Muscular strength in male adolescents and premature death: cohort study of one million participants Reliability and validity of age band 1 of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children--second edition. Test-retest reliability of two tiltboard tests in children. Hand span influences optimal grip span in boys and girls aged 6 to 12 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE To prospect ively examine the effects of a r and omized school-based intervention on nutrition and physical activity knowledge and preferences , anthropometric measures , and fitness in low socioeconomic kindergarten children . STUDY DESIGN A total of 376 children completed a school-year combined dietary-behavioral-physical activity intervention  and were compared with 349 control subjects ( age 3.8 to 6.8 years ) . RESULTS The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the kindergarten children was 27.7 % . Even though the intervention was not associated with between group differences in body mass index changes , it was associated with significantly ( P < .05 ) greater increase in nutrition knowledge and preferences , physical activity knowledge and preferences , and improvement in fitness . There was a greater ( P < .05 ) decrease in the number of overweight children in the intervention group ( -31.9 % ) compared with the controls ( -17.5 % ) . CONCLUSIONS A kindergarten dietary-physical activity intervention applied by the kindergarten teachers , had no effect on body mass index changes between the groups , but improved nutrition and physical activity knowledge and preferences , improved fitness , and decreased the percent of overweight children . This intervention may play an important role in health promotion , prevention and treatment of childhood obesity Objective To test the effect of a multidimensional lifestyle intervention on aerobic fitness and adiposity in predominantly migrant preschool children . Design Cluster r and omised controlled single blinded trial ( Ballabeina study ) over one school year ; r and omisation was performed after stratification for linguistic region . Setting 40 preschool classes in areas with a high migrant population in the German and French speaking regions of Switzerl and . Participants 652 of the 727 preschool children had informed consent and were present for baseline measures ( mean age 5.1 years ( SD 0.7 ) , 72 % migrants of multicultural origins ) . No children withdrew , but 26 moved away . Intervention The multidimensional culturally tailored lifestyle intervention included a physical activity programme , lessons on nutrition , media use ( use of television and computers ) , and sleep and adaptation of the built environment of the preschool class . It lasted from August 2008 to June 2009 . Main outcome measures Primary outcomes were aerobic fitness ( 20 m shuttle run test ) and body mass index ( BMI ) . Secondary outcomes included motor agility , balance , percentage body fat , waist circumference , physical activity , eating habits , media use , sleep , psychological health , and cognitive abilities . Results Compared with controls , children in the intervention group had an increase in aerobic fitness at the end of the intervention ( adjusted mean difference : 0.32 stages ( 95 % confidence interval 0.07 to 0.57 ; P=0.01 ) but no difference in BMI ( −0.07 kg/m2 , −0.19 to 0.06 ; P=0.31 ) . Relative to controls , children in the intervention group had beneficial effects in motor agility ( −0.54 s , −0.90 to −0.17 ; P=0.004 ) , percentage body fat ( −1.1 % , −2.0 to −0.2 ; P=0.02 ) , and waist circumference ( −1.0 cm , −1.6 to −0.4 ; P=0.001 ) . There were also significant benefits in the intervention group in reported physical activity , media use , and eating habits , but not in the remaining secondary outcomes . Conclusions A multidimensional intervention increased aerobic fitness and reduced body fat but not BMI in predominantly migrant preschool children . Trial registration Clinical Trials NCT00674544 PURPOSE To determine if there is an optimal grip span for determining the maximum h and grip strength in male and female teenagers , and if the optimal grip span was related to h and span . If they are related then the second aim was to derive a mathematic equation relating h and span and optimal grip span . METHODS One hundred healthy teenage boys ( 15.1 + /- 1.1 y ) and 106 girls ( 15.4 + /- 1.3 y ) were evaluated ( age range , 13 - 18 y ) . 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 small finger with the h and opened as wide as possible . RESULTS The results showed that an optimal grip span to determine the maximum h and grip strength was identified for both genders , and the optimal grip span and h and span correlated in both genders . 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 teenagers . The optimal grip span was influenced by h and span in both genders . For males the optimal grip span can be derived from the equation y = x/7.2 + 3.1 cm , and for females from the equation y = x/4 + 1.1 cm . where y is the optimal grip span and x is the h and -span . These equations may improve the reliability and accuracy of the results and may guide clinicians and research ers in selecting the optimal grip span on the h and dynamometer when measuring h and grip strength in teenagers PURPOSE Information about factors related to overweight development in early stages of life is needed for design ing useful strategies to prevent overweight and related diseases . Longitudinal studies can contribute to this goal . The present study aim ed to identify factors in childhood that determine the development of overweight/obesity in adolescence . METHODS A prospect i ve study in 598 normal-weight Estonian and Swedish children age 9.5 ± 0.4 yr from the European Youth Heart Study , who were followed during 6 yr , was conducted . Weight and height were measured at baseline and follow-up , and weight status was ascertained according to the international criteria for body mass index . Cardiorespiratory fitness  ( expressed as  VO(2max ) ( mL·kg(-1)·min(-1 ) ) ) was assessed by a maximal bike test . Parents reported their weight , height , and educational level . RESULTS Being male ( vs female ) and Estonian ( vs Swedish ) was related to higher risk for incident overweight/obesity . Change in fitness was a stronger predictor of incident overweight/obesity than childhood fitness , parental overweight , or parental education . The risk of developing overweight/obesity was reduced 10 % every 1 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1 ) of VO(2max ) increase ( odds ratio = 0.90 and 95 % confidence interval = 0.84 - 0.95 ) after adjustment for a set of confounders including baseline body mass index and without differences by gender . CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that improvements in fitness from childhood to adolescence are associated with a lower risk of becoming overweight/obese in adolescence . The current findings highlight the importance of promoting fitness through physical exercise from early stages in life , as a promising strategy to fight against overweight and obesity . Gender and country differences observed in this study require social and political attention To assess influence of age , sex , and lateral dominance on children 's unilateral stance , from 6 Houston area preschools and day-care centers , 121 subjects were r and omly selected and judged by teachers as normal 3- to 6-yr.-old children . The children were tested for eye , h and , and foot preference and were then classified on over-all dominance . Maximal duration of unilateral stance , or up to 60 sec. , was tested on each foot . Means over age groups show progressive increase in duration of unilateral stance with increasing age . No sex differences were found . A stepwise multiple correlation-regression showed stance on the nondominant foot and age as the only significant variables in stance on the dominant foot . Clinical ly , this study can help in evaluating children for neurodevelopmental disorders 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 The aim of this paper was to examine the validity and reliability of age b and 1 of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition ( MABC-2 ) in preparation for its st and ardization in mainl and China . Interrater and test-retest reliability of the MABC-2 was estimated using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient ( ICC ) . Cronbach 's alpha for each item and Item-total correlation were used to determine internal consistency . The content validity was determined by the Item-level content validity index ( I-CVI ) . Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factorial validity of the MABC-2 test . The correlation coefficients between the MABC-2 and the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 ( PDMS-2 ) were used to assess the criteria -related validity . The Cronbach 's alpha values of all eight items together were moderate but acceptable . The correlation coefficients between each test item and the total score were moderate except for two items . The ICC of interrater and test-retest reliability for each test items was good . The I-CVI of each item was excellent ( each above 0.78 ) . The result of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the goodness-of-fit indices of the adjusted model were good ( each above 0.9 ) , indicating a satisfactory fit of the data to the model . The total score on  MABC-2  and PDMS-2 was correlated well ( r=0.631 ) . It is concluded that the reliability and validity of age b and 1 of MABC-2 were fair in this study based on a large sample . However , there was a need to adjust part of items to improve the test 's psychometric properties when it is used in Chinese children The purpose of this study was to determine test-retest reliability for the 1-mile , 3/4-mile , and 1/2-mile distance run/alk tests for children in Grade s K-4 . Fifty-one intact physical education classes were r and omly assigned to one of the three distance run conditions . A total of 1,229 ( 621 boys , 608 girls ) completed the test-retests in the fall ( October ) , with 1,050 of these students ( 543 boys , 507 girls ) repeating the tests in the spring ( May ) . Results indicated that the 1-mile run/walk distance , as recommended for young children in most national test batteries , has acceptable intraclass reliability ( .83 less than R less than .90 ) for both boys and girls in Grade s 3 and 4 , has minimal ( fall ) to acceptable ( spring ) reliability for Grade 2 students ( .70 less than R less than .83 ) , but is not reliable for children in Grade s K and 1 ( .34 less than R less than .56 ) . The 1/2 mile was the only distance meeting minimal reliability st and ards for boys and girls in Grade s K and 1 ( .73 less than R less than .82 ) . Results also indicated that reliability estimates remained fairly stable across gender and age groups from the fall to spring testing periods , with the exception of the noticeably improved values for Grade 2 students on the 1-mile run/walk test . Criterion-referenced reliability ( P , percent agreement ) was also estimated relative to Physical Best and Fitnessgram run/walk st and ards . Reliability coefficients for all age group st and ards were acceptable to high ( .70 less than P less than .95 ) , except for Fitnessgram st and ards for 5-year-old girls on the 1-mile test for both fall and spring and for 6-year-old boys and girls on the 1-mile test administered in the spring Vicente-Rodríguez , G , Rey-López , JP , Ruíz , JR , Jiménez-Pavón , D , Bergman , P , Ciarapica , D , Heredia , JM , Molnar , D , Gutierrez , A , Moreno , LA , and Ortega , FB . Interrater reliability and time measurement validity of speed-agility field tests in adolescents . J Strength Cond Res 25(7 ) : 2059 - 2063 , 2011—The aim of this study was to examine the interrater reliability ( trained vs. untrained raters ) and criterion-related validity ( manual vs. automatic timing ) of the 4 × 10-m shuttle run and 30-m running speed tests ( times measured ) . The study comprised 85 adolescents ( 38 girls ) aged 13.0 - 16.9 years from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence study . The time required to complete the 4 × 10-m shuttle run and 30-m running tests was simultaneously measured ( a ) manually with a stopwatch by both trained and untrained raters ( for interrater reliability analysis ) , and ( b ) by using photoelectric cells ( for validity analysis ) . Systematic error , r and om error , and heteroscedasticity were studied with repeated-measured analysis of variance and Bl and -Altman plots . The systematic error for untrained vs. trained raters and the untrained raters vs. photoelectric cells were in all cases ∼0.1 seconds ( p < 0.01 ) , that is , untrained raters recorded higher times . No systematic error was found between trained raters and photoelectric cells ( p > 0.05 ) . No heteroscedasticity was shown in any case ( p > 0.05 ) . The findings indicate that manual measurements by a trained rater , using a stopwatch , seem to be a valid method to assess speed and agility fitness testing in adolescents . Research ers must be trained to minimize the measurement error Physical fitness , participation in physical activity , fundamental motor skills and body composition are important contributors to the health and the development of a healthy lifestyle among children and youth . The New South Wales Schools  Fitness and Physical Activity Survey , 1997 , was conducted to fill some of the gaps in our knowledge of these aspects of the lives of young people in New South Wales . The survey was conducted in February and March , 1997 and collected data on a r and omly-selected sample of students ( n = 5518 ) in Years 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 and 10 . Measures were taken on body composition ( height and weight , waist and hip girths , skinfolds ) , health-related fitness ( aerobic capacity , muscular strength , muscular endurance , flexibility ) , fundamental motor skills ( run , vertical jump , catch , overh and throw , foreh and strike and kick ) , self-reported physical activity , time spent in sedentary recreation , and physical education ( PE ) classes . The methods are described to assist in the development of surveys of other population s and to provoke debate relevant to the development and dissemination of st and ard approaches to monitoring the fitness , physical activity habits and body composition of Australian children and youth . Finally , we offer comments on some of the strengths and limitations of the methods employed Objectives To explore the extent to which muscular strength in adolescence is associated with all cause and cause specific premature mortality ( < 55 years ) . Design Prospect i ve cohort study . Setting Sweden . Participants 1 142 599 Swedish male adolescents aged 16 - 19 years were followed over a period of 24 years . Main outcome measures Baseline examinations included  knee extension , h and grip , and elbow flexion strength tests  , as well as measures of  diastolic and systolic blood pressure and body mass index . Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios for mortality according to muscular strength categories ( tenths ) . Results During a median follow-up period of 24 years , 26 145 participants died . Suicide was a more frequent cause of death in young adulthood ( 22.3 % ) than was cardiovascular diseases ( 7.8 % ) or cancer ( 14.9 % ) . High muscular strength in adolescence , as assessed by knee extension and h and grip tests , was associated with a 20 - 35 % lower risk of premature mortality due to any cause or cardiovascular disease , independently of body mass index or blood pressure ; no association was observed with mortality due to cancer . Stronger adolescents had a 20 - 30 % lower risk of death from suicide and were 15 - 65 % less likely to have any psychiatric diagnosis ( such as schizophrenia and mood disorders ) . Adolescents in the lowest tenth of muscular strength showed by far the highest risk of mortality for different causes . All cause mortality rates ( per 100 000 person years ) ranged between 122.3 and 86.9 for the weakest and strongest adolescents ; corresponding figures were 9.5 and 5.6 for mortality due to cardiovascular diseases and 24.6 and 16.9 for mortality due to suicide . Conclusions Low muscular strength in adolescents is an emerging risk factor for major causes of death in young adulthood , such as suicide and cardiovascular diseases . The effect size observed for all cause mortality was equivalent to that for well established risk factors such as elevated body mass index or blood pressure The purpose of this study was to examine specific aspects of the reliability and validity of age b and 1 of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children -- Second Edition ( MABC-2 ) ( Henderson , Sugden , & Barnett , 2007 ) in Greek preschool children . One hundred and eighty-three children participated in the study ; the children ranged in age from 36 to 64 months old ( M = 50 months , SD = 9 months ) .  Test-retest reliability of the MABC-2 was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICC ) . Cronbach 's alpha for the items of each motor domain was estimated to determine internal consistency . Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factorial validity of the MABC-2 test . Correlation coefficients among individual item scores and the total score were also calculated to further examine validity . The ICC for all test items was good , except for the drawing trail task , which was moderate . Cronbach 's alpha coefficient values were .51 , .70 and .66 for manual dexterity , aim ing and catching , and balance , respectively . In the confirmatory factor analysis , goodness-of-fit indices suggested a satisfactory fit of the data to the model . The correlation coefficients between each test item and the total score were moderate . The results suggest that the MABC-2 can be a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of movement difficulties among 3 - 5-year-old children BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Most clinical evaluations of postural control in children are relatively subjective and have not been tested for reliability of scoring . The purpose of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability of measurements obtained with two tiltboard tests . SUBJECTS Subjects were 18 children , aged 53 to 81 months ( mean = 64.4 , SD = 8.3 ) , who were typically developing ( TD group ) and 18 children , aged 50 to 79 months ( mean = 63.3 , SD = 8.4 ) , with developmental delays ( DD group ) . METHODS Each child was tested using the two tilt-board tests and was then retested using the same tests approximately 1 week later . The maximum angle of tiltboard tilt prior to any postural adjustment by the child was recorded . RESULTS Intraclass correlation coefficients for test-retest reliability ( two-way , r and om-effects , repeated- measures model ) ranged from .49 to .54 for the TD group and from .52 to .82 for the DD group . Angles were higher for both groups for the second test . CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION The results suggest that these tiltboard tests do not give stable and reliable measurements across test sessions . Before these tests can be used to document change in postural control abilities across time , further research is warranted 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
target: 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: 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 .