Purpose: To examine the associations between muscular fitness (MF) and body composition. Method: MF was assessed with three tests of FitnessGram test battery. Total body fat percentage (BF%), abdominal fat percentage (AF%) and fat-free mass (FFM) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The IOTF body mass index (BMI) cut-offs were…

Introduction: This article reports the physical abilities and physical wellness of three groups of children with different neurodevelopmental disabilities--Autism, Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability. Methods: The causal-comparative research method was implemented in this study. The participants comprised 32 students with moderate…

We developed plank test standards, based on trunk lean mass-to-fat mass (LM/FM) ratio, in a sample of healthy Portuguese 10--18 year olds (n = 474, 46.4% female). Height and weight were measured and muscular endurance was assessed using the prone plank test. Trunk LM/FM ratio was determined using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Plank standards…

Introduction: The aims of this study were to examine cross-sectional, and longitudinal association of different measures of obesity and physical fitness with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adolescents with Down syndrome. Methods: Longitudinal analysis included 90 adolescents with Down syndrome. Obesity and physical fitness were…

We designed grip strength standards for youth by back-extrapolating cutpoints based on weakness at age 65. Existing standards, based on insufficient bone mineral content (BMC), were also compared in a nationally representative sample. Altogether, 6837 participants (n = 2199 [less than or equal to] 18.9 years of age) from the National Health and…

This study evaluated test-equating methods to enable comparisons and conversions between the vertical jump (VJ) and standing long jump (SLJ) tests. A total of 528 youth (280 males) performed VJ and SLJ, and their scores were randomly split as the calibration (C) sample (n = 478) and cross-validation (CV) sample (n = 50). SLJ scores of the C sample…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact on health-related fitness resulting from COVID-19 lockdowns on male high school students in Melbourne, Australia. Method: A total of 146 students completed fitness testing in February and retesting in November following 7 months of remote learning. Fitness tests conducted were 20-m…

Childhood physical fitness relative to adult health outcomes coupled with scant longitudinal research indicates that tracking of fitness components throughout childhood/adolescence is imperative. The study examined the stability/tracking of 9 measures of fitness for boys and girls at 5 points throughout childhood/adolescence. Tracking coefficients…

Many physical education teacher education (PETE) programs have adopted FITNESSGRAM® as the preferred method to assess teacher candidate fitness levels. The rationale, however, is unclear. This article presents fitness testing results of PETE candidates using FITNESSGRAM® with the aim to evaluate its appropriateness. 86 PETE students participated…

Incorporation of the vertical jump (VJ) test in health-related fitness batteries is predicated on the availability of prediction equations to accurately estimate VJ power. The purpose was to develop and validate a generalizable equation to estimate VJ power from VJ height, body mass, age, and sex in 10- to 18-year-olds. The sample (N = 529)…

Purpose: Physically active adults have experienced training benefits from fish oil--derived omega-3 fatty acid (FO n3), which may also be of benefit to singers. The purpose of this research study was to determine if self-reported vocal adaptations and body composition changes occur in singers following FO n3 supplementation in conjunction with a…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare strength-endurance handgrip performance and muscle coactivation between judo athletes and untrained young males. Method: The sample was 38 judo athletes and 38 untrained young males, between 12 and 15 years-old. Maturational status was evaluated by age at peak height velocity. A maximal isometric…

Aim: This research aimed to analyze the vocational adjustment of paramedic students in health sciences in terms of some anthropometric and motoric features. Material and Method: The research is a cross-sectional study, which is one of the quantitative research methods aimed at paramedic students. The study group consisted of 60 (n[subscript…

This study examined the predictive validity of musculoskeletal fitness tests for identifying sarcopenia in youth. The sample was 529 participants age 10 to 18 years. Indices included: total lean body mass (LBM) normalized for height (LBM index, LBMI, kg/m2), appendicular LBMI (aLBMI, kg/m[superscript 2]), and LBM to fat body mass (FBM) ratio…

Geographical, cultural, and socio-economic factors create a different lifestyle. Accordingly, the aim of this research was to identify the differences in anthropometric and fitness characteristics among adolescents living in Montenegro and Kosovo in order to optimize the physical fitness as a consequence of the proactive behavior. Anthropometric…