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Scientific background

It’s hard for researchers and public health officials to measure exactly physical activity and energy expenditure of kids during their day to find if they are active enough to gain health benefits. Hovewer, measuring the direct long-term response of an individual to physical activity – his/her physical fitness – is a more reliable indicator of habitual physical activity, as well as providing a more stable factor in assessment of health risks. There has been a great deal of scientific work dedicated to understanding how children move, how important is fitness for their physical activity, and how we can help maintain and increase physical activity and fitness in kids. Check out what experts in this area are working on to protect the health of our children, keeping them active, moving, engaged and fit.

Fitness is the foundation of physical literacy

“We need objective data about physical fitness as an essential part of promoting adequate physical literacy in the population. Having a solid grasp of one’s own physical fitness ensures that children and adolescents can choose to engage in, and maintain, purposeful physical activities throughout their lifetime, including benefitting from all the healthy outcomes associated with engaging in an active lifestyle.”

- Prof. Dr. Gregor Jurak, head of FitBack project and SLOfit® research group, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

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Fitter Bodies, Fitter Brains

“Is the brain of fitter individuals different from that of less fit individuals? Yes, several investigations support that there are indeed important structural differences in the brain in people with different physical fitness levels.”

- Prof. Dr. Francisco B. Ortega, Co-director of the PROFITH research Group, School of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Spain

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Physical activity or physical fitness: which is better to monitor in children?

“Measuring the direct long-term response of an individual child to physical activity – their physical fitness – is a more reliable indicator of habitual physical activity, as well as providing a more stable factor in assessment of health risks.”

- Prof. Dr. Luis B. Sardinha, Co-founder of the FITescola®, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Portugal

Importance of engaging with the public health mechanisms of government to ensure child physical fitness is a national health priority

To establish fitness monitoring system, it is vital to engage in the public health mechanisms of government to make child physical fitness a national health priority.

Check out the SLOfit team’s approach to engaging the public and government sectors in prioritising children and youth physical activity levels, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.

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