Physical fitness levels among children in northeast Italy by sex and age group: a comparison with teachers’ assessments and children in other European countries

Data revealed similar results in physical fitness between the three countries, albeit with some differences for individual items. However, primary school teachers in Italy assessed physical fitness rather poorly, possibly due to their lack of specific academic training in physical education and thus limited perception of physical fitness compared with academically trained physical education teachers. Last, because the procedure for categorizing children by age may significantly affect the results and subsequent between-group comparisons, researchers comparing children in different age groups should report their procedures for categorizing age.