摘要：A cause of limited
physical activity levels in youth is the presence of low back pain (LBP),
therefore proper assessment of low back function in physical education settings
is needed to identify children who may be at risk. The purpose of this study
was to determine the concurrent and criterion-referenced validity of field
tests of low back and core muscular endurance in school-aged children. The
sample consisted of 4th through 10th grade students (N = 370)
who completed low back and core muscular fitness tests on four separate testing
days during their physical education classes. Field measures related to low
back function included the Box 90° Trunk Extension (Box 90°) and the
FITNESSGRAM Trunk Extension (FG-TE). Field measures related to overall core function
consisted of a Lateral Plank, Prone Plank, and a Static and Dynamic Curl-up.
Criterion measures of low-back muscular endurance included the Parallel Roman
Chair Dynamic Trunk Extension (PRC-DTE) and the Parallel Roman Chair Static
Trunk Extension (PRC-STE). Multivariate analysis using canonical correlations
showed moderate correlations between low back and core measures (P < .001). The
Lateral Plank, Prone Plank, and Dynamic Curl-up had moderate-to-strong canonical cross-loadings with the low back measure variate. The FG-TE displayed
an insignificant canonical coefficient, and weak canonical loadings and
cross-loadings. Measures of overall core function also significantly agreed
with the criterion measures in classifying students into ranked tertile groups
(P < .001). These results suggest
that assessment of specific low back muscular function can be easily evaluated
using tests of overall core muscular endurance as an alternative to the FG-TE
in physical education settings.
