title: Feasibility, validity and reliability of the plank isometric hold as a field-based assessment of torso muscular endurance for children 8-12 years of age.
abstract: This project examined the feasibility, validity, and reliability of the plank isometric hold for children 8-12 years of age. 1502 children (52.5% female) performed partial curl-up and/or plank protocols to assess plank feasibility (n = 823, 52.1% girls), validity (n = 641, 54.1% girls) and reliability (n = 111, 47.8% girls). 12% (n = 52/431) of children could not perform a partial curl-up, but virtually all children (n = 1066/1084) could attain a nonzero score for the plank. Plank performance without time limit was influenced by small effects with age (β = 6.86; p < .001, η(2) = 0.03), flexibility (β = 0.79; p < .001, η(2) = 0.03), and medium effects with cardiovascular endurance (β = 1.07; p < .001, η(2) = 0.08), and waist circumference (β = -0.92; p < .001, η(2) = 0.06). Interrater (ICC = 0.62; CI = 0.50, 0.75), intra-rater (ICC = 0.83; CI = 0.73, 0.90) and test-retest (ICC = 0.63; CI = 0.46, 0.75) reliability were acceptable for the plank without time limit. These data suggest the plank without time limit is a feasible, valid and reliable assessment of torso muscular endurance for children 8-12 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: Travis J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McFarlane
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borghese
authors.forename: Meghann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Longmuir
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D015588:Observer Variation; D010807:Physical Endurance; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D060726:Torso / Q000502:physiology*; D014505:Urban Population