Normative Reference Values and International Comparisons for the 20-Metre Shuttle Run Test: Analysis of 69,960 Test Results among Chinese Children and Youth

Feng Zhang; Xiaojian Yin; Cunjian Bi; Yuqiang Li; Yi Sun; Ting Zhang; Xiaofang Yang; Ming Li; Yuan Liu; Junfang Cao; Ting Yang; Yaru Guo; Ge Song

Normative Reference Values and International Comparisons for the 20-Metre Shuttle Run Test: Analysis of 69,960 Test Results among Chinese Children and Youth

J Sports Sci Med. 2020 Aug 13;19(3):478-488. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Authors

Feng Zhang^{1

2}, Xiaojian Yin^{1

2

3}, Cunjian Bi^{1

2}, Yuqiang Li^{1

2}, Yi Sun^{1

2}, Ting Zhang^{1

2}, Xiaofang Yang^{1

2}, Ming Li^{1

2}, Yuan Liu^{1

2}, Junfang Cao^{1

2}, Ting Yang^{1

2}, Yaru Guo^{1

2}, Ge Song^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
² College of Physical Education and Health, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
³ College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai, China.

PMID: 32874100
PMCID: PMC7429421

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that cardiorespiratory endurance (CRE) is declining among Chinese children and youth. The 20-meter shuttle run test (20-m SRT) is considered the most effective and widely used field-based measurement of CRE for children and youth worldwide. However, there have been few attempts to set 20-m SRT norms for Chinese children and youth. We aimed to develop sex- and age-specific 20-m SRT norms for Chinese children and youth, and compare them with international standards. Participants were 69,960 healthy children and youth aged 9-17 years from six geographical areas of China, selected using a stratified cluster random sampling method. Sex- and age-specific 20-m SRT percentiles and curves were extracted for four common 20-m SRT metrics (laps, completed stages/minutes, speed at the last complete stage, estimated peak oxygen uptake). We also estimated the prevalence of healthy CRE according to the interim international cut-points (42 mL.kg^-1min^-1 for boys, 35 mL·kg·¹min^-1 for girls). Chinese boys consistently outperformed girls, while more girls (86.4%) exhibited healthy CRE than boys (67.1%). Younger children and youth were more likely to meet the standards compared with the older, regardless of sex. Chinese children and youth underperformed international norms by 0.85% for boys and 3.1% for girls. The performance indicator (z-score) of Chinese children and youth was -0.01, indicating that 20-m SRT performance was worse than the international mean. The sex differences were also higher for international than Chinese students. This study provided national sex- and age-specific 20-m SRT Chinese norms, offering a valuable tool for screening, monitoring and identifying target groups for future interventions and early prevention of cardiovascular risk factors.

Keywords: Cardiorespiratory endurance; completed stages/minutes; estimated peak oxygen uptake; laps; prevalence; the speed at the last complete stage.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Age Factors
Asian People*
Cardiorespiratory Fitness*
Child
China
Cross-Sectional Studies
Exercise Test / methods*
Female
Humans
Male
Oxygen Consumption
Physical Endurance / physiology*
Reference Values
Running / physiology*
Sex Factors