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Secular trends in physical performance of Australian children. Evidence from the Talent Search program
G R Tomkinson1, T S Olds, J Gulbin
1Computer Simulation Laboratory, School of Physical Education Exercise and Sport Studies, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. grant_tomkinson@yahoo.com.au
Aim:
This study examined trends in aerobic fitness in 12-15-year-old South Australian schoolchildren in the years 1995-2000, based on data from the Australian Sports Commission's Talent Search program.
Methods:
A total of 18,631 children were tested. The aerobic performance test used was the 20 m shuttle run test (20 mSRT). The 20 mSRT scores were expressed as completed laps, and converted to estimated VO(2)max values.
Results:
There were significant declines (p=0.04-0.0001) across all age-gender slices, equivalent to 0.18 to 0.36 ml O(2) x kg(-1) x min(-1) x yr(-1), or about 0.4-0.8% of mean values per year. The rate of decline is consistent with several other Australian and overseas studies in the years 1980-2000, which have used a variety of aerobic tests across a wide range of age groups. In relation to children of similar age in 7 other countries, Australian children show poor to average aerobic fitness levels.
Conclusion:
It is possible that the decay in Australian children's aerobic fitness is in part due to reduced physical activity.