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Physical fitness and sport activity of children and adolescents: Methodological aspects of a regional survey

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Sozial- und Präventivmedizin

Summary

Measurement of physical fitness and physical activity in children and adolescents raise a lot of methodological issues, explaining the scarcity of surveys in European countries and in Switzerland. This article exposes the design and the methods used in a survey on physical fitness, physical activity and health conducted in a region of Switzerland, and discuss the choice of the instruments and the quality control procedure selected to measure physical activity and physical fitness. The survey was conducted in a sample of 3540 students 9–19 years-old and included a battery of physical fitness tests, anthropometrics measurements and a self-report questionnaire on physical activity, sports activity and life styles. An ancillary study in a sub sample assessed daily physical activity with a pedometer, dietary intake with a 3-day dietary record, serum lipids and nutritional status. Some results are displayed as example. Quality control techniques are exposed and the choice of the instrument to assess physical fitness, physical activity, sports, and dietary intake are discussed. Local reference tables are now available for fitness tests and the practicability of fitness testing has been demonstrated in physical education. The research process has induced the sensitisation of schools toward health promotion through physical activity.

Zusammenfassung

Das Messen der physischen Kondition und der physischen Aktivität von Kindern und Adoleszenten wirft eine Vielzahl methodologischer Fragen auf, weshalb wohl in europäischen Ländern und in der Schweiz bisher nur wenige solche Untersuchungen durchgeführt wurden. Es sollen in dieser Studie, welche in einer Region der Schweiz zum Thema physische Kondition, körperliche Betätigung und Gesundheit durchgeführt wurde, die zur Anwendung gekommenen Untersuchungsmethoden dargestellt und das eigentliche Vorgehen beschrieben werden. Ebenfalls werden die instrumentenwahl sowie die für diese Studie ausgearbeiteten Verfahren zur Qualitätssicherung der Messungen der physischen Kondition und der physischen Aktivität diskutiert. Die Untersuchung wurde mit einer Auswahl von 3540 neun-bis neunzehnjährigen Schülern durchgeführt und beinhaltet die Messung der physischen Kondition mit Hilfe einer Testserie, anthropometrische Messungen und einen Fragebogen zur physischen Aktivität, sportlichen Betätigung und zum Lebensstil. Eine Zusatzstudie wurde in einem Teilkollektiv durchgeführt. Dabei wurden die tägliche physische Aktivität mit Hilfe eines Pedometers gemessen, während drei Tagen ein Tagebuch über die Nahrungsaufnahme geführt und die Lipidwerte im Blut sowie der Ernährungszustand analysiert. Einige Ergebnisse werden als Beispiel aufgeführt. Die zur Qualitätsgarantie der erfassten Daten eingesetzten Massnahmen, sowie die Wahl der für die Messungen der physischen Kondition, der körperlichen Aktivität, der sportlichen Betätigung und der Ernährung verwandten Instrumente werden diskutiert. Das Erstellen von lokalen Referenztabellen zur physischen Kondition von Jugendlichen erlaubte es, die Konditionstests in den Sportunterricht einzuführen und schulnahe Kreise dafür zu sensibilisieren, dass die körperliche Betätigung für eine Strategie der Gesundheitsförderung eine wichtige Rolle spielt.

Résumé

La mesure de la condition physique et de l'activité physique des enfants et des adolescents pose des problèmes méthodologiques particuliers, qui expliquent sans doute le petit nombre d'études de ce type dans les pays européens et en Suisse. Cet article présente la procédure et les méthodes utilisées dans une enquête sur la condition physique, l'activité physique et la santé, réalisée dans un canton de Suisse et discute le choix des instruments et des procédures mises en œuvre pour assurer la qualité des mesures de la condition physique et d'activité physique. L'enquête a été conduite dans un échantillon de 3'540 élèves de 9 à 19 ans et comprenait des mesures de la condition physique grâce à une batterie de tests, des mesures anthropométriques et un questionnaire sur l'activité physique, la pratique sportive et les habitudes de vie. Dans un souséchantillon, on a utilisé un pédomètre mesurant l'activité physique quotidienne, un journal alimentaire de trois jours et un dosage sanguin des lipides et du status nutritionnel. Quelques résultats sont donnés à titre d'exemple. Les mesures mises en place pour assurer la qualité des données recueillies sont discutées, ainsi que le choix des instruments de mesure de la condition physique, de l'activité physique, de la pratique sportive et de l'alimentation. La réalisation de tables de référence locales pour les tests de condition physique a permis d'introduire l'utilisation des tests de condition physique dans l'enseignement de l'éducation physique, et de sensibiliser le milieu scolaire à l'importance de l'activité physique dans une stratégie de promotion de la santé.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Universitaire de médecine sociale et préventive, Bugnon 17, CH-1005, Lausanne

    Françoise Narring, Michel Cauderay & Pierre-André Michaud

  2. Centre de Recherche Nestlé, Lausanne

    Claude Cavadini

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  1. Françoise Narring
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  2. Michel Cauderay
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  3. Claude Cavadini
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  4. Pierre-André Michaud
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Correspondence to Françoise Narring.

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Narring, F., Cauderay, M., Cavadini, C. et al. Physical fitness and sport activity of children and adolescents: Methodological aspects of a regional survey. Soz Präventivmed 44, 44–54 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01667126

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