Aim
was to
1) compute age-and-gender-dependent normative data of the aerobic fitness level of 12–17-year-old Dutch teenagers by using the PACER-15 test;
2) determine the test-retest-reliability of the PACER-15.
Conclusion
This study provides age- and gender-specific reference aerobic fitness values of the PACER-15 test. Since length and weight differ between adolescents of the same age, the use of individual predictive scores are recommended
above the use of group scores.
The relative reliability of the test was excellent, whereas the absolute
reliability was limited. In further research, normative values of aerobe fitness of children in the age of 6 – 11 years will be determined. Furthermore,
aerobe fitness will be measured with the PACER-15 and with the SRT-20 to compare the outcome of both tests.
Background
Aerobe fitness (AF) is an
important component of physical fitness of children and
adolescents. To assess the AF, the 20-m Shuttle Run Test (SRT-20) is often used. Unfortunately, there is frequently a lack of an at least 22 m physical facility to utilize this test indoor. By still using the SRT-20 in a small room, the velocity at which children are running is too low and the outcome of AF is
assessed too high. Therefore, the PACER-15m test was chosen. This validated test measures AF over a
distance of 15 m
.
Results
985 Boys and 853 girls, in the age of
12 – 17 years, participated in this
study.
Gender- and age-specific normative
values were determined and
expressed in percentiles (p5-p95).
Boys scored higher than girls on AF.
Physical fitness test performances
gradually increased till 17 years in
boys and hardly increased in girls
after 13 years.
The regression equation was:
All variables were significant,
with a P < 0.001. The level of
explained variance was 0.30.
The test-retest-reliability of the
PACER-15 (n=875) was ICC 0.85
( 95% CI: 0.83 – 0.87, p< 0.001)
with a LOA of 25.7.
Methods
Adolescents of two secondary schools in the northern part of The Netherlands performed the PACER-15 test. At one school, the
PACER-15 was performed twice. Weight and height were measured. Age- and gender specific percentiles were calculated for the Pacer-15 test. Furthermore, a regression equation was used, to determine individual predicted scores including the variables age (A, in years), gender (G, male =1, female =0), height (H in cm) and weight (W in kg) on the AF (number or laps).Relative
reliability was calculated by the intra class correlation coefficient (ICC), absolute
reliability by a Bland-Altman plot and the Limits of Agreement (LOA).
Normative values of aerobe fitness of Dutch adolescents,
12-17 years old, measured with the PACER-15 m test.
1. Department of Physiotherapy, University of Applied Science Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
2. Research Group Healthy Ageing, Allied Health Care and Nursing, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands
