Search results for "Fitness test"
showing 10 items of 37 documents
A New Fitness Test of Estimating VO2max in Well-Trained Rowing Athletes
2021
BackgroundThis study was designed to investigate the validity of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) estimation through the Firstbeat fitness test (FFT) method when using submaximal rowing and running programs for well-trained athletes.MethodsWell-trained flatwater rowers (n = 45, 19.8 ± 3.0 years, 184 ± 8.7 cm, 76 ± 12.9 kg, and 58.7 ± 6.0 mL⋅kg–1⋅min–1) and paddlers (n = 45, 19.0 ± 2.5 years, 180 ± 7.7 cm, 74 ± 9.4 kg, and 59.9 ± 4.8 mL⋅kg–1⋅min–1) completed the FFT and maximal graded exercise test (GXT) programs of rowing and running, respectively. The estimated VO2max was calculated using the FFT system, and the measured VO2max was obtained from the GXT programs. Differences between the…
A healthy Nordic diet and physical performance in old age : findings from the longitudinal Helsinki Birth Cohort Study
2016
AbstractEpidemiological studies have shown that a number of nutrients are associated with better physical performance. However, little is still known about the role of the whole diet, particularly a healthy Nordic diet, in relation to physical performance. Therefore, we examined whether a healthy Nordic diet was associated with measures of physical performance 10 years later. We studied 1072 participants from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Participants’ diet was assessed using a validated 128-item FFQ at the mean age of 61 years, and a priori-defined Nordic diet score (NDS) was calculated. The score included Nordic fruits and berries, vegetables, cereals, PUFA:SFA and trans-fatty acids ra…
Design, implementation, and evaluation of the adolescents and surveillance system for the obesity prevention project
2016
Abstract The Adolescents Surveillance System for Obesity prevention (ASSO) Project aimed at developing standardized and web-based tools for collecting data on adolescents’ obesity and its potential determinants. This has been implemented and piloted in the local area of Palermo city, Italy. The aim of the present study is to provide an overview of the Project's design, implementation, and evaluation, highlighting all the aspects for a potential scale-up of the surveillance system on the whole national territory and abroad, as a sustainable and effective source of data. The overall structure and management, the ASSO-toolkit, the ASSO-NutFit software, and all developed and used procedures for…
Objectively measured physical activity and physical performance in old age
2017
Abstract Background: Physical performance is a key factor that determines how older people cope with daily tasks and maintain independency. There is strong evidence suggesting that physical activity (PA) is important in maintaining physical performance in old age. However, most studies have been done using self-reported PA. Our aim was to explore the association between objectively measured PA and physical performance in old age. Methods: We studied 695 participants (mean age 70.7 years, SD 2.7) from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. Physical performance was assessed with the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) and PA with a multisensory activity monitor SenseWear Pro 3 Armband. Results: Total volume …
Relationship between physical activity and physical performance in later life in different birth weight groups.
2017
There is strong evidence that physical activity (PA) has an influence on physical performance in later life. Also, a small body size at birth has been associated with lower physical functioning in older age and both small and high birth weight have shown to be associated with lower leisure time physical activity. However, it is unknown whether size at birth modulates the association between PA and physical performance in old age. We examined 695 individuals from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study born in Helsinki, Finland between 1934 and 1944. At a mean age of 70.7 years PA was objectively assessed with a multisensory activity monitor and physical performance with the Senior Fitness Test (SFT…
Motor competence, perceived physical competence, physical fitness, and physical activity within Finnish children
2019
The purpose of this study was to investigate reciprocal relationships among students’ motor competence (MC) (leaping, throwing, catching, jumping skills), perceived physical competence, health‐related fitness (HRF) (20 m shuttle run, push‐up, abdominal muscles endurance tests) and objectively measured moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Participants included 422 Grade 5 Finnish children (246 girls). Two separate structural equation models investigated paths (a) from MC through both perceived physical competence and HRF to MVPA, and (b) from MVPA through both perceived physical competence and HRF to MC. Model 1 demonstrated an indirect path from MC through HRF to MVPA and a direct…
Adiposity, physical activity and neuromuscular performance in children
2016
We investigated the associations of body fat percentage, objectively assessed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and different types of physical activity assessed by a questionnaire with neuromuscular performance. The participants were 404 children aged 6–8 years. Body fat percentage (BF%) was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and physical activity by combined heart rate and movement sensing and a questionnaire. The results of 50-metre shuttle run, 15-metre sprint run, hand grip strength, standing long jump, sit-up, modified flamingo balance, box and block, and sit-and-reach tests were used as measures of neuromuscular performance. Children who had a combination of…
Physical fitness development in relation to changes in body composition and physical activity in adolescence
2020
The decline in adolescents’ physical fitness (PF) in recent decades has raised concerns about current population’s possible future challenges with health and physical functional capacity. This study explored the associations between body composition, physical activity, maturation, and PF development in adolescents. Furthermore, PF development of adolescents with low initial PF was assessed. A 2‐year observational study was conducted between spring 2013 and 2015. Nine comprehensive schools and their 10‐ to 13‐year‐old students were invited to participate in the study (1778), and a total of 971 students (54.6%) agreed. Cardiorespiratory fitness (20‐metre shuttle run), muscular fitness (push‐u…
Effects of a Physical Activity Intervention on Physical Fitness of schoolchildren: The Enriched Sport Activity Program
2020
Background: Physical fitness in youth is a predictor of health in adulthood. The main objective of the present study was to understand if an enriched sport activity program could increase physical fitness in a population of schoolchildren. Methods: In a sample of 672 children aged 10.0 ±
Southern Italian teenagers
2017
Italy comprises a high proportion of people who never exercised. Low physical activity levels in adolescents is a risk factor for several disorders. The aim of this cohort epidemiological study was to compare physical fitness profiles between boys and girls with regard to age and gender and to identify health and fitness-related markers that contribute to the make-up of Southern Italian teenagers. Eight hundred eleven teenagers were assessed for anthropometric measurements and completed the 5 ASSO-fitness tests battery. Data were analyzed with a 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures to compare the effect of both age and gender on the fitness components. The boys' anthropo…