title: Physical fitness in Spanish schoolchildren aged 6-12 years: reference values of the battery EUROFIT and associated cardiovascular risk.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physical fitness is considered an important indicator of health in children. The aims of this study were to (1) provide sex- and age-specific EUROFIT battery levels of fitness in Spanish children; (2) compare Spanish children's fitness levels with those of children from other countries; and (3) determine the percentage of Spanish children with cardiovascular risk associated with low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Physical fitness was assessed using the EUROFIT tests in 1725 children, aged 6 to 12, from Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. We derived specific values for physical fitness using LMS method. FITNESSGRAM 2010 criteria were used to estimate the percentage of children with cardiovascular risk associated with low CRF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Boys scored higher in all the physical fitness tests, except for the flexibility test. Physical fitness improved as age increased, except for flexibility, which worsened in boys, and VO2max, which decreased in both sexes. The prevalence of boys and girls with cardiovascular risk associated to low CRF was 13% and 26%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specific fitness test scores for children and adolescents can represent the fitness status of schoolchildren accurately. Schools need to make efforts to improve the fitness level of the schoolchildren to prevent cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Ronda de Calatrava, 3, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain. Roberto.Gulias@uclm.es.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gulías-González
authors.forename: Mairena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sánchez-López
authors.forename: Ángel
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Olivas-Bravo
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Solera-Martínez
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martínez-Vizcaíno
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010809:Physical Fitness; D015995:Prevalence; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: child and adolescent health; physical fitness and sport; public health