Field-Based Measurement of Cardiorespiratory Fitness for Children and the Youth in Low and Middle Income Settings

Abstract

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) has declined worldwide among the youth with 81% of adolescents not being physically active. Promotion of cardiorespiratory fitness among the youth is an important goal with the global challenge of reducing physical inactivity by 15% in the next 7 years. Assessment and monitoring though of cardiorespiratory fitness have not been standardized for children worldwide. Moreover, the gold standard of gas-analyzed cardiopulmonary exercise testing is too expensive for use in low to middle-income countries (LMICs). Submaximal exercise tests that need minimal inexpensive equipment and training for the administering staff are most appropriate for use in population studies and individual CRF assessment in LMICs. Three office-based and two field-based tests (e.g. 20 m shuttle run test) are recommended for use among children in LMICs. Validated CRF questionnaires can be used in epidemiologic studies. Health-related fitness test batteries for children have also been conducted in LMICs. There is, therefore, an urgent need to develop a standardized set of measures for CRF among children that can be implemented internationally. These should be scalable, simple, valid, reliable, easily implementable and can surmount the large geo-regional variations in assessing and reporting CRF among the youth.