Health-related physical fitness levels of Turkish kindergarten children: A three-year follow up

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess health-related physical fitness levels of Turkish kindergarten children and to show the differences of age and gender. Material and methods: Sixteen kindergarten children were evaluated through 3 years from the beginning age of 34.62±5.6 months in this study. Health-related physical fitness tests were done in the 1 ^st, 2^nd and 3^rd years. Each child completed a battery of health-related physical fitness tests including skinfold thickness for body composition, sit ups and pull-ups for muscular strength and endurance, sit and reach test for flexibility, standing broad jump test for power, flamingo test for balance, and 10-meter running for speed and coordination. Results: Statistically significant improvements were seen in tests through years in all children (p<0.05) except for the sit-ups test (p>0.05). Girls had better results in flexibility and balance tests (p<0.05). Conclusion: Girls have better results in flexibility in all ages compared to boys, and physical fitness levels increase across ages in Turkish kindergarten children.