Normative Values for Cardiorespiratory Fitness Testing Among US Children Aged 6-11 years
Jaime J Gahche1, Brian K Kit1, Janet E Fulton1
11 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Insights
New data provides updated cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) norms for US children aged 6-11 years. Lower endurance times were linked to higher obesity rates and increased screen time in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Exercise Physiology
- Public Health & Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) normative values for U.S. children are outdated, with the last comprehensive data from the mid-1980s.
- Establishing current benchmarks is crucial for assessing child fitness levels and identifying public health trends.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish current, sex- and age-specific normative values for cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in U.S. children aged 6-11 years.
- To provide a contemporary reference for evaluating the cardiorespiratory health of young children.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 624 children (aged 6-11 years) from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey National Youth Fitness Survey.
- Utilized age-specific exercise protocols to assess maximal endurance time (CRF) in minutes and seconds.
- Cross-sectional survey design with data analysis conducted in 2016.
Main Results:
- Mean endurance times varied by age group: 12:10 min:sec (6-7 yrs), 11:16 min:sec (8-9 yrs), and 10:01 min:sec (10-11 yrs).
- Children in the lowest 20th percentile of endurance were more likely to be obese.
- Lower CRF was associated with less favorable self-reported health and greater than two hours of daily screen time.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide essential baseline estimates for monitoring trends in U.S. children's cardiorespiratory fitness.
- These updated normative values are vital for pediatric health assessments and interventions.
- Highlights the association between low cardiorespiratory fitness, obesity, and sedentary behavior in children.
Background:
Nationally representative normative values for cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) have not been described for US children since the mid 1980s.
Objective:
To provide sex- and age-specific normative values for CRF of US children aged 6-11 years.
Methods:
Data from 624 children aged 6-11 years who participated in the CRF testing as part of the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey National Youth Fitness Survey, a cross-sectional survey, were analyzed. Participants were assigned to one of three age-specific protocols and asked to exercise to volitional fatigue. The difficulty of the protocols increased with successive age groups. CRF was assessed as maximal endurance time (min:sec). Data analysis was conducted in 2016.
Results:
For 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 year olds, corresponding with the age-specific protocols, mean endurance time was 12:10 min:sec (95% CI: 11:49-12:31), 11:16 min:sec (95% CI: 11:00-11:31), and 10:01 min:sec (95% CI: 9:37-10:25), respectively. Youth in the lowest 20th percentile for endurance time were more likely to be obese, to report less favorable health, and to report greater than two hours of screen time per day.
Conclusions:
These data may serve as baseline estimates to monitor trends over time in CRF among US children aged 6-11 years.
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