A Novel Monitoring System (AUT FIT) for Anthropometrics and Physical Fitness in Primary School Children in Austria: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Abstract

Monitoring of anthropometric and physical fitness parameters in primary school children is important for the prevention of future health problems. Many of the existing test batteries that are useful for monitoring require expensive test materials, specialized test administrators, and a lot of space. This limits the usefulness of such tests for widespread use. The aim of this pilot study was to design and evaluate monitoring tools for anthropometrics and physical fitness tests in primary schools, called AUT FIT. The test battery consists of height, weight, and waist circumference measurement and eight fitness tests (6 min run, V sit-and-reach, jumping sideways, standing long jump, medicine ball throw, 4 × 10 m shuttle run, ruler drop, single leg stand). Data of 821 children aged 7 to 10 years were gathered. Most AUT FIT tests showed excellent test–retest and interrater reliability and were easy to implement. Criterion-related validity was evident by a strong correlation between physical education teacher rankings and rank scores for motor fitness. Nationwide implementation in the Austrian school system could be an important component for monitoring and improving the health and fitness of primary school children.

The Impact of COVID-19-Related Mitigation Measures on the Health and Fitness Status of Primary School Children in Austria: A Longitudinal Study with Data from 708 Children Measured before and during the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Originally, this study was designed as a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of a physical education (PE) teaching intervention on the health and fitness of primary school children in the districts of Klagenfurt (urban and rural), Austria using a newly created Austrian fitness monitoring system for school children (AUT FIT) [ 48 ]. The intervention had to be interrupted due to COVID-19 restrictions.…”

“…The assessment of anthropometric data was performed according to the methods described in AUT FIT [ 48 ], resulting in national [ 53 ] weight classification categories and health risk estimation categories (for more details, see AUT FIT monitoring tool one and two) [ 48 ].…”

“…In the pilot study for the development of AUT FIT [ 48 ], some modifications in the fitness-related monitoring tools of health-related and motor fitness were recommended. Thus, the data for the ruler drop test and jumping sideways were excluded in this study.…”

“…In the current study, the fitness tests were assessed individually using international reference values, but for the balance test described in AUT FIT [ 48 ] no reference or standardized values are available; therefore, the results of the balance tests were excluded from the longitudinal assessment.…”

“…The validity and reliability of these four fitness tests have been described in detail before and have been reported to be suitable for use in field tests [ 48 ].…”