Physical capacity and the motor tests relative for the health promotion in children and adolescents

Abstract

This article discusses physical capacity and health-promotion-oriented motor tests in children and adolescents, in order to provide a foundation for future studies that intend to debate this topic. The idea of evaluating physical activity levels in a population is aimed to determine the level of physical fitness, and to verify that this is in line with criteria for good health. From a functional point of view, good health is defined by the following components: body composition (not considered in this article), strength, muscular endurance capacity and flexibility. These components are measured by test batteries that are intended to measure the health of individuals and/or populations. The starting point for this debate is the published reference literature that classifies motor tests as either norm-referenced or criterion-referenced standards.