SLOfit test battery in elementary and secondary school

Every April, almost the entire Slovenian population, aged 6 to 19 (220,000 students) is measured by 8 motor tests and 3 anthropometric measurements : 

BODY HEIGHT

Body height is giving us information about the length of the body. During childhood is constantly increasing, in the end of adolescence stops and In adult life remains constant.  Individuals are the highest in the morning and the lowest in the evening. In adulthood is height an indicator of degenerative changes in the spine. Body height is together with other body dimensions allowing the assessment of one’s nutritional status and is determining the potential negative impact on some of the movement's measurement tasks.

BODY WEIGHT

Body weight gives us information on the total body mass. Individual weight changes from birth to age, but it is advisable to keep healthy body weight at the same level throughout the life after the end of the growth period. A rough measure of healthy body weight is obtained if we deduct 100 from body height. Body mass together with other body dimensions allows us to estimate the state of nutrition.

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)

BMI is a general indicator of the composition of the body. With BMI can individuals classify into different classes of nutrition: malnutrition, normal nutrition, prematurity, and obesity. Excessive nutrition increases risks of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and certain types of cancer. BMI is a very rough estimate of nutrition and some individuals with higher muscularity sometimes find themselves in the category of obesity, although they are not.

TRICEPS SKINFOLD 

Subcutaneous fat gives us information about the amount of fat and varies from birth to onwards. The high values of skin wrinkles are a sign of an over-nutrition of an individual, which increases the health risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.

20-s HAND-TAPPING

Hand-tapping gives us information on the speed of alternating movements with hands. It also indicates the ability to rapidly transmit the pulses of our nervous system and its fatigue. Lower values of this measurement task may indicate a worse conductivity of the nervous system.

STANDING LONG JUMP 

Standing long jump gives us information about the explosive strength of the legs, which points to our ability to produce the maximum force. Lower values of this measurement task may indicate low muscular strength of the thigh muscles or poor coordination between arms and legs.

POLYGON COURSE BACKWARDS 

Polygon backwards is coordination task, which gives us information about the motion in a space that indicates the ability to regulate movement in unusual situations. The high values of this measurement task indicate a lower ability to co-ordinate the movement of different parts of the body, thereby increasing the risk of injury in solving unexpected movable situations.

60-s SIT-UPS

Sit-up test is giving us information of endurance in the strength of the body, especially hip and abdominal muscles. The low values of this measurement task indicate a reduced muscular strength, which is important for the stabilization and preservation of a health body posture. 

STAND AND REACH 

Test stand and reach gives us information about the flexibility of the legs and the lower part of the spine. The low values of this measurement are showing that our thigh muscles are too short, which is increasing the risk of injuries in the legs and the inability of movements with the entire amplitude. Low score of this measurement task can be an indicator of stress in daily life.

BENT ARM HANG 

Test Bent arm hang is giving us information of the strength and durability of the hands and shoulders. It is showing our ability to control the mass of our own body, while the lower values of this measurement task indicate the underlying strength of the hands and shoulders and consequently the risk of inadequate stabilization of the chest of the spine.

60m DASH

Running 60m indicates the ability to quickly transmit the pulses of our nervous system and its fatigue. This capability is largely innate, but the result of the run depends on several factors: effective starting and starting acceleration, developing the highest speed of running, minimizing deceleration in the rear and correct running technique through the target. Higher values of this measurement task may indicate a worse conductivity of the nervous system, underestimation of muscle tone of the lower part of the body or a worse intermolecular coordination.

600m RUN

600m run is giving us information of general aerobic endurance of an individual. Its basis are aerobic energy processes, which mainly depend on the action of the respiratory, cardiovascular and blood system. Higher values of this measurement task indicate an aggravated aerobic endurance of an individual and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

EXERCISE CAPACITY INDEX

The Exercise Capacity indicates the general efficiency of the body in movement from the point of view of all motor abilities but excludes the physical characteristics of the individual (e.g. BMI and upper am skinfold measures are not included). It is calculated as the average score of all measures that determine physical performance, i.e. eight movement measurement tasks. It is expressed on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best), as a centile value; so for example, a ECI of 25 would mean that for this person, 25% of their peers have worse (and 75% of their peers have better) physical performance than they do.

PHYSICAL FITNESS INDEX

Physical fitness index is an indicator of our overall performance. It is calculated from the percentile values of all 8 fitness tests, BMI and triceps skinfold thickness. Low values of this indicator are a proof of insufficient physical efficiency.