title: [The shuttle run test is not valid for the detection of asthma in school physical education programs].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Certain sporting activities may trigger asthma exacerbations of varying intensity in children. Such exacerbations may lead to limitations in and rejection of such activities. During school hours, teachers are in a good position to observe these phenomena. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the shuttle run, a test of physical fitness used in school physical education programs, as a way of detecting asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a cross-sectional observational study of school children between the ages of 6 and 12 years using the asthma symptom questionnaire of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), a shuttle run test, and a free running test at maximum effort in order to study bronchial hyperresponsiveness. The principal measure of bronchial hyperresponsiveness used in both physical fitness tests was peak expiratory flow rate as measured with a peak flow meter. In comparing the results of the shuttle run test with those of the free running test and the ISAAC questionnaire we used the chi(2) test to measure association and the Cohen kappa coefficient to measure agreement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We distributed the ISAAC questionnaire (n=919) to 460 (50.1%) boys and 459 (49.9%) girls between the ages of 6 and 12 years. All the tests were completed by 826 children. The level of agreement between the shuttle run test and free running test was positive but low for decreases in peak expiratory flow rate compared to baseline of 15% (chi(2)=5.6; P< .05; kappa=0.093; SE, 0.042) and of 20% (chi(2)=4.5; P< .05; kappa=0.08; SE, 0.046). For 10% decreases association was not significant and agreement was low (kappa=0.05; SE, 0.04). There was no agreement between the ISAAC questionnaire and the shuttle run test (kappa=0.095; SE, 0.63).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The shuttle run test using peak expiratory flow rate as the principal measure of bronchial hyperresponsiveness is not valid for the detection of asthma in schoolchildren.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Neumología Infantil, Hospital Donostia, San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa, España. eonate@chdo.osakidetza.net
authors.forename: Eider
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oñate
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: González Pérez-Yarza
authors.forename: Alicia Figueroa
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: de la Paz
authors.forename: Ane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aldasoro
authors.forename: José Francisco
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Aramendi
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bardagi
authors.forename: José I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Emparanza
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires