10 Steps to a National System for Monitoring the Physical Fitness of Children and Adolescents According to Recommendations from the FitBack Network

Robert Kneschke/Canva
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In an era where children and adolescents are increasingly exposed to sedentary lifestyles and screen time, the question arises on how to reverse the trend of their continuous decline in physical fitness. A recent study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, prominently featuring researchers from the SLOfit team, offers a solution—systematic monitoring of physical fitness at both individual and population levels. There are several such national systems currently in existence—how do they differ? What are their advantages, and where are their limitations? Most importantly, how can we design and establish such a system using the best practices in 10 steps?
Why is Physical Fitness so Important?
Physical fitness comprises a set of our physical characteristics, which we have or develop, that enable us to easily handle both everyday tasks and unexpected events and challenges, have enough energy for leisure activities, and not become quickly fatigued. It includes: body composition (the ratio of different tissues in the body), cardiovascular endurance (the body’s ability to sustain prolonged exertion), musculoskeletal endurance along with muscular strength, joint flexibility or flexibility of joint groups, and motor skills such as speed of movement, agility, and coordination.
Thus, physical fitness is not only important for a child's current health and well-being but also has long-term effects on their cognitive abilities, academic performance, and mental health, and reduces the risk of diseases and premature death in adulthood. This is precisely why it is a foundation upon which we must build a healthy future for our children.
Review of Best Practices
To improve something, we must first understand what we already have. Thus, researchers have analyzed physical fitness monitoring systems currently in use across Europe, which encompass various practices and approaches, often limited to specific countries or regions. To address the discrepancies that arise, the European Union, under the Erasmus+ Sport program, funded a project named "European Network for the Development of Systems to Monitor Physical Fitness in Children and Adolescents" (shortened to "FitBack"). FitBack is a nonprofit network of institutions from more than 20 countries with expertise and experience in monitoring children's physical fitness. Members of the network identified eight systems, namely in Finland, France, Galicia in Spain, Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Serbia, and Slovenia. From the gathered experiences, they then formulated ten key steps that should serve as guides for establishing an effective, comprehensive system for monitoring the physical fitness of the schooling youth.
10 Steps to Success
What are the steps recommended by the FitBack network for planning and establishing a national system for monitoring physical fitness? The first step emphasizes the importance of clearly defined goals and a vision for the system. This is followed by the inclusion of all key stakeholders—from children and parents to teachers and political decision-makers, ensuring the system reflects the needs and expectations of the entire community. The third step is based on scientific evidence supporting the importance of physical fitness for children's health and well-being, while the fourth defines the need for a clear administrative structure, ensuring the system is efficiently managed and overseen.
Funding is crucial for the long-term sustainability of the project, so the fifth step focuses on finding and securing stable sources of funds. The sixth step addresses the challenges of managing extensive data collected by the system, emphasizing the importance of data privacy and security. The seventh step highlights the significance of meaningful and useful feedback for both children and parents, thereby fostering motivation for improving physical fitness. Before implementing the system on a national level, it should be tested in a controlled environment, which is the focus of the eighth step, while the ninth step describes planning and executing the system's introduction. The tenth and final step underscores the importance of communication with all stakeholders, which is undoubtedly also key to the system's success and acceptance. The FitBack network has also prepared an infographic promoting these recommendations, translated into 15 languages.
Thus, the FitBack system represents a reliable and well-trodden path to shaping a healthy, active future for children and adolescents across Europe. By bringing together experts, utilizing scientific insights, and engaging the community, the project has the potential to profoundly change the approach and perspective towards school sports education and the fitness of schoolchildren, thereby enabling them to grow into healthy, confident, and successful adults.
Framework
10 Steps for Planning a System to Monitor the Physical Fitness of School Children pr@uni-lj.si
(1) Clearly state the mission and objective of the project, (2) include interested stakeholders, (3) utilize scientific background, (4) determine the management structure, (5) ensure sufficient funding, (6) carefully plan data management, (7) provide meaningful feedback, (8) conduct pilot testing, (9) design the implementation process, and (10) invest in communication with stakeholders.
The published research presents the results of the FitBack project 2020-2022. Detailed results can be found on the FitBack web portal.
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