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Physical fitness reference standards for preschool children: The PREFIT project

Cristina Cadenas-Sanchez1, Timm Intemann2, Idoia Labayen3

  • 1PROFITH "PROmoting FITness and Health through physical activity" Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Spain.

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
|October 15, 2018
PubMed

Insights

This study establishes physical fitness reference standards for Spanish preschool children, revealing that boys generally outperform girls, with differences widening by age. These benchmarks aid in identifying fitness levels and tracking changes in young children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric exercise science
  • Child development
  • Public health screening

Background:

  • Establishing physical fitness reference values is crucial for child health screening and non-communicable disease prevention.
  • Existing fitness standards primarily cover children aged 6 and older, leaving a gap for preschool-aged populations.
  • Preschool years are a critical period for growth and development, influencing long-term health trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish sex- and age-specific physical fitness reference standards for Spanish preschool children.
  • To investigate sex differences in physical fitness across the preschool age range (2.8–6.4 years).
  • To characterize the evolution of physical fitness performance throughout the preschool period.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study design was employed.
  • Data were collected from 3179 Spanish preschool children (1678 boys).
  • Physical fitness was assessed using the PREFIT (Physical Education and Fitness) battery.

Main Results:

  • Age- and sex-specific percentiles for various physical fitness components were generated.
  • Boys demonstrated superior performance compared to girls in cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and speed-agility tests.
  • Girls exhibited slightly better performance in balance tests, and older children consistently outperformed younger children across all fitness measures.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides essential age- and sex-specific physical fitness reference standards for preschool children.
  • Sexual dimorphism in physical fitness is evident from preschool age and increases with age.
  • These findings support health, sport, and educational professionals in assessing and monitoring preschool children's fitness levels.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cardiorespiratory fitnessMotor skillsMuscular strengthReference values

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