• Alexandra Unger, Walter Reichel, Katrin Röttig, and Jan Wilke.
• Department of Movement Science, Institute of Sports Science, University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria; University of Teacher Education Carinthia, Klagenfurt, Austria. Electronic address: alexandra.unger@aau.at.
• Prev Med. 2024 Oct 9; 189: 108149108149.

BackgroundPhysical 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.ObjectiveTo identify and analyse secular trends in PF among Austrian schoolchildren from 2006 to 2023.MethodA 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.ResultsA 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.ConclusionThere 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.Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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