Validity and reliability of the International fItness scale (IFIS) in preschool children.

Objectives: Examine the validity and reliability of parent-reported International FItness Scale (IFIS) in preschoolers. Method: A cross-sectional study of 3051 Spanish preschoolers (3-5 years). Fitness was measured by PREFIT battery and reported by parents using an adapted version of the IFIS. Waist circumference was evaluated, and the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was calculated. Seventy-six parents of randomly selected schoolchildren completed the IFIS twice for a reliability assessment. Results: ANCOVA, adjusted for sex, age and WHtR, showed that preschoolers who were scored by their parents as having average-to-very good fitness had better levels of measured physical fitness than those preschoolers who were classified as having "very poor/poor" fitness levels (18.1laps to 22.1laps vs 15.6laps for cardiorespiratory fitness; 6.6 kg to 7.5 kg vs 5.3 kg for muscular fitness-handgrip-; 71.7 cm to 76.4 cm vs 62.0 cm for muscular fitness-standing long jump-; 17.2s to 16.2s vs 18.2s for speed/agility; and 11.2s to 15.6s vs 8.7s for balance; p < 0.001). The weighted kappa for concordance between parent-reported fitness levels and objective assessment was poor (κ ≤ 0.18 for all fitness measures). Overall, the mean values of the abdominal adiposity indicators were significantly lower in high-level fitness categories reported by parents than in low-level fitness categories (p < 0.05). The test-retest reliability ranged from 0.46 to 0.62. Conclusions: The reliability of the parent-reported IFIS are acceptable, but the concordance between parents reported and objectively measures fitness levels is poor, suggesting that parents' responses may not be able to correctly classify preschoolers according to their fitness level.HighlightsThe convergent validity and reliability (test-retest) values of the IFIS parent scale are moderately acceptable for assessing physical fitness in children aged 3-5 years.However, the results of concordance show that criterion validity is poor suggesting that parents' responses may not be able to correctly classify preschoolers according to their fitness level.Considering that the fitness level at these ages is fairly homogeneous, it seems difficult for parents to discriminate between the fitness levels of their children. Therefore, it seems necessary to recalibrate the scale in future work.

Knowledge of Low Back Pain among Primary School Teachers.

Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disease that affects a large percentage of the working population, including teachers. The World Health Organization has identified the school as an effective environment for improving child health. For this reason, the figure of the teacher is a fundamental piece in the process of knowledge acquisition about postural education and prevention of LBP among schoolchildren. The present study aims to determine the knowledge of postural education and back pain prevention among primary school teachers. This cross-sectional study evaluated 85 primary school teachers from Majorca (Spain), of whom 17.6% were physical education teachers and 82.4% were classroom teachers. The study was based on two different structured and self-administered questionnaires to investigate into specific knowledge about LBP: Low Back Pain Knowledge Questionnaire (LKQ) and COSACUES-AEF Questionnaire. The results demonstrated a lifetime prevalence of LBP of 96.5% with significant differences determined by sex. The knowledge of participants about LBP was 17.3 in LKQ (range scale 0-24) and 4.3 in COSACUES (range scale 1-10). In conclusion, the teachers knowledge is insufficient to carry out an efficient and useful health promotion program among schoolchildren to prevent LBP.

The effects of a physical activity intervention based on a fatness and fitness smartphone app for University students.

Since the 2012 Lancet Series on physical activity, progress regarding this topic has been negligible at global level. Thus, improving physical activity levels in specific populations through new methodologies is positioned as a priority. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a physical activity intervention on body fatness composition, and measured and self-reported physical fitness components based on the use of a smartphone app. The investigation included 100 Spanish university students, cluster-randomized into the smartphone app intervention group or a control group (n = 35 and n = 31 respectively, after applying exclusion criteria). The physical activity intervention comprised a 9-week programme designed to promote a healthy physical activity pattern using a smartphone app. Specifically, an mHealth approach was taken containing five BCTs. The results showed that the intervention group improved their physical fitness (F = 8.1, p = .006) and reported better general scores in self-reported physical fitness (F = 7.4, p = .008) over time, in comparison to the control group. However, the intervention group did not show any changes to their fatness. Further research is needed to disentangle which BCTs are more effective to achieve physical health improvements when using physical activity apps.

A Single Question of Parent-Reported Physical Activity Levels Estimates Objectively Measured Physical Fitness and Body Composition in Preschool Children: The PREFIT Project.

Physical inactivity is recognized as a determinant of low physical fitness and body composition in preschool children, which in turn, are important markers of health through the lifespan. Objective methods to assess physical activity, physical fitness and body composition in preschool children are preferable; however, they have some practical limitations in the school context. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test whether a single question regarding physical activity level of preschool children, reported by their parents, could be used as an alternative screening tool of physical fitness and body composition. The information was obtained from 10 different cities throughout Spain, gathering a total of 3179 healthy preschool children (52.8% boys and 47.2% girls) aged 3-5 years. Physical activity levels of preschool children were reported by parents using a single question with five response options (very low, low, average, high, or very high). Physical fitness and body composition were assessed with the PREFIT fitness battery. The results showed that parents' perception of their children's physical activity was positively associated with all objectively measured physical fitness components (ßrange = -0.094 to 0.113; all p < 0.020); and negatively with body composition indicators as measured (ßrange = -0.113 to -0.058; all p < 0.001). The results showed significant differences in all physical fitness and body composition z-scores across the parent-reported physical activity levels (all p < 0.017 and all p < 0.001, respectively), as well as, for the fitness index (p < 0.001). Our study suggests that in school settings with insufficient resources to objectively assess fitness and body composition, parents-reported physical activity level by means of a single question might provide useful information about these important health markers in preschool children.

Effects of a postural education program on school backpack habits related to low back pain in children.

PURPOSE: Population based studies have demonstrated that children and adolescents often complain of low back pain. A group-randomized controlled trial was carried out to investigate the effects of a postural education program on school backpack habits related to low back pain in children aged 10-12 year. METHODS: The study sample included 137 children aged 10.7 years (SD = 0.672). Six classes from two primary schools were randomly allocated into experimental group (EG) (N = 63) or control group (CG) (N = 74). The EG received a postural education program over 6 weeks consisting of six sessions, while the CG followed the usual school curriculum. A questionnaire was fulfilled by the participants at pre-test, post-test, and 3 months after the intervention finished. The outcomes collected were: (1) try to load the minimum weight possible, (2) carry school backpack on two shoulders, (3) belief that school backpack weight does not affect to the back, and (4) the use of locker or something similar at school. A sum score was computed from the four items. RESULTS: Single healthy items mostly improved after the intervention and remained improved after 3-month follow-up in EG, while no substantial changes were observed in the CG. Healthy backpack use habits score was significantly increased at post-test compared to baseline in the EG (P < 0.000), and remained significantly increased after 3-month, compared to baseline (P = 0.001). No significant changes were observed in the CG (P > 0.2). CONCLUSIONS: The present study findings confirm that children are able to learn healthy backpack habits which might prevent future low back pain.

Acceptance of gamesmanship and cheating in young competitive athletes in relation to the motivational climate generated by parents and coaches.

The goal was to assess the relation between the acceptance of using gamesmanship and cheating in sports and the type of motivational climate created by coaches and parents. The sample consisted of 110 soccer, basketball, and handball players from the Balearic Islands competition (70 boys, 40 girls; M age = 14.7 yr., SD = 2.1, range 10-19). As for the motivational climate generated by coaches, task climate was negatively related to the acceptance of gamesmanship and cheating, but ego climate was related to higher acceptance. Motivational climate generated by parents was not related to acceptance of cheating or gamesmanship.