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Change and Tracking of Physical Fitness Among Children Aged 5-12 Years: A Systematic Review
Priscyla Praxedes Gomes1, Carla Santos1,2, José Maia1
1Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal.
Insights
Physical fitness generally improves in children aged 5-12, with boys often outperforming girls in aerobic and motor skills. However, fitness tracking shows low-to-moderate stability, highlighting the need for early interventions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Exercise Science
- Developmental Health
- Physical Education Research
Background:
- Childhood physical fitness (PF) trajectories are crucial for understanding developmental variations and predicting future health outcomes.
- Monitoring PF is vital for identifying at-risk children and implementing targeted interventions in school settings.
- Understanding PF stability is essential for effective public health strategies and educational programming.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review changes in physical fitness among children aged 5-12 years.
- To descriptively analyze the stability (tracking) of various physical fitness components during childhood.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a comprehensive literature search across major databases (PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science) for longitudinal studies.
- Included studies assessing physical fitness in children aged 5-12, with data extraction on study characteristics, fitness components, and outcomes.
- Assessed the methodological quality of included observational cohort studies using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool.
Main Results:
- Eighteen longitudinal studies involving 147-1148 children were analyzed, with follow-up periods ranging from 12 to 48 months.
- Most studies indicated improvements in aerobic, musculoskeletal, and motor fitness, while flexibility results were inconsistent.
- Boys generally exhibited superior aerobic, motor, and musculoskeletal fitness compared to girls, who excelled in flexibility.
Conclusions:
- Physical fitness typically enhances throughout childhood, displaying distinct sex-specific patterns.
- The stability of physical fitness components during childhood is generally low to moderate, especially for motor fitness.
- Findings underscore the importance of considering sex differences and tracking stability when designing childhood fitness interventions.
Abstract:
Background: Understanding physical fitness (PF) trajectories during childhood is essential because they reflect developmental differences and indicate whether early fitness levels predict later outcomes. Clarifying PF tracking is important for school monitoring, early identification of at-risk children, and planning targeted interventions. Objective: To synthesize evidence on change of PF among children aged 5-12 years and, secondarily, to descriptively analyze stability (tracking) of PF components. Methods: Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science covering the last decade (to May 2025). Longitudinal studies assessing at least one PF component in children aged 5-12 years were included. Data extraction included study/sample characteristics, PF components, assessment tools, statistical methods, and outcomes. Methodological quality was assessed with the NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort Studies. Results: From 33,995 records, 18 studies met the criteria, with sample sizes from 147 to 1148 children and follow-up from 12 to 48 months. Most studies reported improvements in aerobic, musculoskeletal, and motor fitness, while flexibility showed mixed results. Boys generally outperformed girls in aerobic, motor, and musculoskeletal fitness, whereas girls performed better in flexibility. Stability coefficients, analyzed in a set of four studies, varied across PF components, and results should be interpreted with caution. Conclusions: PF generally improves during childhood, with sex-specific patterns and low-to-moderate stability, particularly for motor fitness.
