Reliability of Field-based Fitness Tests in Children and Adolescents:System Review

Objective:To assess the reliability level of existing field-based fitness in children and adolescents,and form the overall framework of field-based fitness tests according to levels of evidence.Method:Search related English full text document published from Jan.1990 to Jul.2011,according to quality assessment criteria including the description of the participants,the time interval between measurements,the description of the results and the appropriateness of statistics.Three levels of evidence were constructed according to the number of studies and the consistency of the findings.Result:31 high quality studies were finally analyzed,the most common tests to measure cardiorespiratory fitness were the 20m shuttle run,1 mile run/walk and Andersen test.Tests for musculoskeletal fitness were the handgrip strength,push-up,vertical jump,pull-up,bent arm hang,sit and reach,trunk lift,curl-up,sit-up and standing broad jump tests.Tests for assessing motor fitness were 4×10m shuttle run and 30m dash.Tests for assessing body composition were anthropometric measurements and percentage body fat estimated from skinfold thickness.Conclusion:Although some fitness components warrant further investigation,this research provides an evidence-based proposal for reliable framework of field-based fitness tests for use with children and adolescents.