Tracking adiposity and health-related physical fitness test performances from early childhood through elementary...

This study tracked health-related physical fitness measurements in children, including sum of triceps and medial calf skinfolds, timed 1-mile run/walk, 1-min bent-knee sit-up, pull-up, and sit-and-reach values. Results are from 409 boys and 409 girls tested in kindergarten and fifth grade, also retaining their first, second, third, and fourth grade data. In separate gender analyses, Spearman's rho correlations were significant (p < .001) for all grade level pair combinations for each variable. Five-yr tracking of adiposity and all health-related physical fitness measurements for boys and girls was generally moderate from early childhood to the upper elementary ages.