Developing and testing an instrument to assess aquaticity in humans.

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Human Physiology
• Aquatic Medicine

Background:

• Assessing physical adequacy in water is crucial for various sports and safety.
• Existing methods may lack standardization or practicality for widespread use.
• Elite athletes exhibit varying levels of water affinity based on their sport.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a practical Aquaticity Assessment Test (AAT).
• To evaluate human physical adequacy and water-based performance.
• To establish reliability and differentiate aquaticity levels.

Main Methods:

• Developed a 10-task Aquaticity Assessment Test (AAT) administered to 46 volunteers (athletes and non-athletes).
• Utilized factor analysis for item selection and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for cutoffs.
• Assessed test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability with two independent evaluators.

Main Results:

• The AAT comprises 10 tasks with scores ranging from 9.5 to 49.5.
• Statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) in AAT scores were found between aquatic and terrestrial athletes.
• ROC analysis identified cutoffs for low (≤23.7) and high (≥43.3) aquaticity levels; test-retest and inter-rater reliability were high (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The Aquaticity Assessment Test (AAT) is a valid and reliable tool for assessing physical adequacy in water.
• The AAT is user-friendly, requires no specialized equipment, and can be administered in any pool.
• Further research is needed to apply the AAT to diverse population groups.