Secular trends of physical fitness in Austrian children attending sports schools: An analysis of repeated cross-sections from 2006 to 2023

Background

Physical fitness (PF) offers numerous physical and mental health benefits, especially during childhood. Previous studies investigating trends in children's PF over the years reported contradictory findings.

Objective

To identify and analyse secular trends in PF among Austrian schoolchildren from 2006 to 2023.

Method

A repeated cross-sections design was used to examine the PF of children enrolling in sports schools between 2006 and 2023. During this period, a standardized eight-item motor performance testing battery was administered yearly to capture markers of strength, speed, endurance, agility and reaction time in Austrian schools.

Results

A total of n = 3827 children (996 girls) with a mean age of 9.9 ± 1.0 years were included. Linear mixed models indicated significant declines in sprint performance (5, 10, 20 m), tapping, jump (long jump and drop jump), throwing (medicine ball), and agility (snake run). No changes were observed in cardiorespiratory fitness (8 min run) or reaction time.

Conclusion

There has been a steady decline in PF among Austrian children attending sports schools. This finding underscores the need for enhanced PF monitoring and training in schools to improve public health outcomes.