Browsing by Subject "Physical fitness"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability of the Performance and Fitness (PERF-FIT) test battery for children: a test for motor skill related fitness
    (2021-03-11) Smits-Engelsman, Bouwien C M; Smit, Eline; Doe-Asinyo, Rosemary X; Lawerteh, Stella E; Aertssen, Wendy; Ferguson, Gillian; Jelsma, Dorothee L
    Background The Performance and Fitness (PERF-FIT) test battery for children is a recently developed, valid assessment tool for measuring motor skill-related physical fitness in 5 to 12-year-old children living in low-income settings. The aim of this study was to determine: (1) inter-rater reliability and (2) test-retest reliability of the PERF-FIT in children from 3 different countries (Ghana, South Africa and the Netherlands). Method For inter-rater reliability 29 children, (16 boys and 13 girls, 6–10 years) were scored by 2 raters simultaneously. For test–retest reliability 72 children, (33 boys and 39 girls, 5–12 years) performed the test twice, minimally 1 week and maximally 2 weeks apart. Relative and absolute reliability indices were calculated. ANOVA was used to examine differences between the three assessor teams in the three countries. Results The PERF-FIT demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC, 0.99) and good test-retest reliability (ICC, ≥ 0.80) for 11 of the 12 tasks, with a poor ICC for the Jumping item, due to low spread in values. A significant difference between first and second test occasion was present on half of the items, but the differences were small (Cohen’s d 0.01–0.17), except for Stepping, Side jump and Bouncing and Catching (Cohen’s d 0.34, 0.41 and 0.33, respectively). Overall, measurement error, Limits of Agreement and Coefficient of Variation had acceptable levels to support clinical use. No systematic dissimilarities in error were found between first and second measurement between the three countries but for one item (Overhead throw). Conclusions The PERF-FIT can reliably measure motor skill related fitness in 5 to 12-year-old children in different settings and help clinicians monitor levels of fundamental motor skills (throwing, bouncing, catching, jumping, hopping and balance), power and agility.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    “Not just another Wii training”: a graded Wii protocol to increase physical fitness in adolescent girls with probable developmental coordination disorder-a pilot study
    (BioMed Central, 2018-02-22) Bonney, Emmanuel; Rameckers, Eugene; Ferguson, Gillian; Smits-Engelsman, Bouwien
    Abstract Background Adolescents with low motor competence participate less in physical activity and tend to exhibit decreased physical fitness compared to their peers with high motor competence. It is therefore essential to identify new methods of enhancing physical fitness in this population. Active video games (AVG) have been shown to improve motor performance, yet investigations of its impact on physical fitness are limited. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of the graded Wii protocol in adolescent girls with probable Developmental Coordination Disorder (p-DCD). Methods A single-group pre-post design was conducted to assess the impact of a newly developed Wii protocol in adolescent girls attending school in a low income community of Cape Town, South Africa. Sixteen participants (aged 13-16 years) with p-DCD (≤16th percentile on the MABC-2 test) were recruited. Participants received 45 min Wii training for 14 weeks. Outcome measures included the six-minute walk distance and repeated sprint ability. Information on heart rate, enjoyment and perceived exertion ratings were also collected. Results Significant improvements in aerobic and anaerobic fitness were observed. The participants reported high enjoyment scores and low perceived exertion ratings. The graded Wii protocol was easily adaptable and required little resources (space, equipment and expertise) to administer. Conclusions The findings provide preliminary evidence to support the use of the graded Wii protocol for promoting physical fitness in adolescent girls with p-DCD. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and to validate the clinical efficacy of the protocol in a larger sample with a more robust design.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    The relationship between kinaesthesia, motor performance, physical fitness and joint mobility in children with and without joint hypermobility in Nigeria
    (2022) Anieto, Ebuka Miracle; Naidoo, Niri; Smits-Engelsman, B C M
    Background: Some children with generalized joint hypermobility (GJH) develop symptoms at some point, which could negatively affect their overall health status. When GJH presents with symptoms, it is described as benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS). Some of the symptoms may include pain, soft tissue injuries, and early onset osteoarthritis. The factors that may predict the development of symptoms in people with GJH have not been established. It is important to explore and identify the factors that modulate the clinical outcomes of children with joint hypermobility, and the factors that predispose some children to developing BJHS). Exploring these factors will help in establishing indicators to observe in longitudinal studies to identify causality, and in developing interventions that will be specifically targeted at influencing those modulators. Aims: to determine the relationship between kinaesthesia, motor performance, fitness and joint mobility in children, and to also determine if kinaesthesia, motor performance, fitness are different in children diagnosed with GJH compared to those who have normal mobility. Methods: a cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted involving children from two primary schools in South-Eastern part of Nigeria. The Beighton criteria were used for the classification of GJH, while using a cut-off of ≥ 6 out of the 9-maximum score. The children were allocated into two groups: children with GJH, and children with normal mobility (NM). Motor performance, fitness and kinaesthesia were measured in all the children. Motor performance and fitness were measured using the performance and fitness battery (PERF-FIT), while kinaesthesia was measured using wedges. Partial correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between the outcomes, while controlling for age and BMI. The non-parametric ANCOVA test (Quade's test) was used to evaluate the differences in the outcomes (motor performance, fitness, and kinaesthesia) between children with GJH and children with NM, while also controlling for age and BMI. Results: A total of 91 children (51.6% girls, and 48.4% boys) participated in the study. The mean age of the children was 8.20 ± 1.98. GJH was identified in a total of 35 (38.46%) children, while 56 (61.54%) children had normal mobility. GJH was more frequent in females (60.0%) than in males (40.0%). There was no statistically significant correlation between joint mobility and kinaesthesia. There was also no statistically significant correlation between joint mobility and motor performance items, as well as the fitness items. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between kinaesthesia and some motor performance items including ball bounce, ball throw and dynamic balance, as well as a significant negative correlation between kinaesthesia and one fitness item- ladder run. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between age and kinaesthesia (correct wedges discrimination). The study also showed that motor performance items, kinaesthesia, and most fitness items, did not differ significantly between children with GJH and children with NM. Conclusion: Joint mobility may not have a significant influence on motor performance and fitness in children that are still at their early stage of growth. Kinaesthesia may be an important factor to consider in children, as it had significant correlations with some motor performance and a fitness item. Furthermore, kinaesthesia is better when the children are older.