Additional data collected in connection with these tests are a child's age, sex, height, weight, and percentage of body fat.
Detailed descriptions of each of the 10 tests are provided in a Council of Europe publication, Eurofit: Handbook for the Eurofit Tests of Physical Fitness. Nine Eurofit tests are as follows (the bicycle ergometer test is generally not included in the full battery):
- Endurance shuttle run: The student runs back and forth between two lines, 65 ft. (20 m) apart, at a speed indicated by a mechanical indicator (a beeping sound). The speed at which the child must run gradually increases as the exercise progresses.
- Hand grip: The student is provided with a dynanometer that is to be gripped as tightly as possible for five seconds.
- Standing broad jump: The student stands behind a line marked on the ground, with feet slightly apart. The test involves seeing how far forward the student can jump from the line. The student gains momentum by swinging his or her arms back and forth and propelling the body as far forward as possible.
- Bent arm hang: The student is lifted into position on a horizontal bar such that the chin is level with the bar. After the examiner lets go of the student, the amount of time the student can hang from the bar until the chin falls below the level of the bar is measured.
- Sit-ups: The examiner measures the number of situps a student can do in 30 seconds.
- Shuttle run: The student runs back and forth between two lines 16 ft. (5 m) apart five times, a total distance of 164 ft. (50 m). The time required for the 50-meter run is recorded.
- Plate tapping: The student stands in front of a table holding two discs that are placed 24 in. (60 cm) apart, with a rectangular plate midway between them. The student places the nonpreferred hand on the rectangular plate and taps the preferred hand on each of the discs in alternating motion. The examiner measures the time it takes to make 25 complete cycles of tapping.
- Sit and reach: The student sits on the floor with legs extended straight ahead and flat on the floor. The stockinged feet are pressed against a flat object, such as a box, and the student reaches as far forward toward that object as possible. The greatest distance the student can reach and hold for two seconds is measured.
- Flamingo balance: The student stands without shoes on a horizontal balance beam 20 in. (50 cm) long, 1 in. (3 cm) wide, and 2 in. (5 cm) above the ground, holding the examiner's hand. The test involves measuring how long (using a stop watch) the student can remain standing on one leg, with the other leg flexed at the knee (flamingo style), after the examiner removes her or his hand. The test continues for 60 seconds, during which time the examiner counts the number of times the student loses balance and places the loose foot back on the beam.
The adult modification of the Eurofit test battery differs somewhat from the children's model. Like the children's battery of tests, the adult Eurofit battery may differ from country to country and examining site to examining site. The original Council of Europe report recommended the following test battery:
Function
Each test in the Eurofit battery is designed to measure some specific aspect of a person's fitness. For example, the sit and reach test is designed to measure the flexibility of a person's lower back and hamstring muscles, whereas the plate tapping exercise is designed to measure a person's speed and coordination of limb movement.
Results
The underlying premise behind the Eurofit program is that certain skills are essential in a healthy person's overall physical fitness. These skills include strength, endurance, flexibility, and speed. The tests included in the Eurofit battery were specifically designed to measure the extent to which an individual meets certain minimum standards in each of these areas, and provides guidelines for activities that help a person reach those minimum standards for which he or she is currently inadequate. For example, a person whose endurance is found to fall below minimum standards as measured in the endurance shuttle run can use that same activity to improve his or her skill in that aspect of physical fitness.
Resources
Miller, Mark D., and Stephen R. Thompson, eds. DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders/Elsevier, 2015.
Safran, Marc R., James E. Zachazewski, and David A. Stone. Instructions for Sports Medicine Patients. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier/Saunders, 2012.
Seidenberg, Peter H., and Anthony I. Beutler, eds. The Sports Medicine Resource Manual. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders/Elsevier, 2008.
Eurofit: Handbook for the Eurofit Tests of Physical Fitness. 2nd ed. Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe, Committee for the Development of Sport, 1993.
Gulías-González Roberto, et al. “Physical Fitness in Spanish Schoolchildren Aged 6–12 Years: Reference Values of the Battery EUROFIT and Associated Cardiovascular Risk.” Journal of School Health 84, no.10 (October 1, 2014): 625–35.
van Nassau, Femke, et al. “Study Protocol of European Fans in Training (EuroFIT): A Four-Country Randomised Controlled Trial of a Lifestyle Program for Men Delivered in Elite Football Clubs.” BMC Public Health 168, no. 2 (July 19, 2016): 598–614.
Vancampfort, Davy, et al. “Test–Retest Reliability, Feasibility and Clinical Correlates of the Eurofit Test Battery in People with Bipolar Disorder.” Psychiatry Research 228, no. 3 (August 30, 2015): 620–5.
Zaqout, Mahmoud. “Determinant Factors of Physical Fitness in European Children.” International Journal of Public Health 61, no. 5 (June 2016): 573–82.
Men's Fitness & Health.“Eurofit for Adults.” Men's-Fitness-and-Health.com . http://www.mens-fitness-and-health.com/Eurofit.html (accessed March 8, 2017).
Topend Sports.“Eurofit Fitness Testing Battery.” Topendsports.com http://www.topendsports.com/testing/eurofit.htm (accessed March 8, 2017).
Council of Europe, Avenue de l'Europe F–67075, Strasbourg-Cedex, France, 33(0) 3 88 41 20 00, Fax: 33(0) 3 88 41 27 54, media@coe.int, http://www.coe.int .
David E. Newton, AB, MA, EdD