TPFP Fitness Test Battery for Youth Kerala

TPFP is the Kerala state fitness test battery for youth. The assessment was developed by Directorate of Sports & YA, Govt. of Kerala in response to the needs in physical education programmes for a comprehensive assessment protocol. The assessment includes a health-related physical fitness tests designed to assess cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. Norm–referenced standards associated with good health have been established for children and youth for each of the health-related fitness components. The software for the programme produces an individualized report card that summarizes the child's performance on each component of health-related fitness and provides suggestions for how to promote and maintain good fitness. The sophisticated database structure within the programme produces compiled class reports and allows for long term tracking of the students fitness over time.

TPFP can be used by students to help them in personal fitness programme planning, by teachers to determine student needs and to help guide students in programme planning, and by parents to understand their child’s needs and to help the child plan a programme of physical activity. Moreover it can be also used as a tool for talent identification.

Background:

Recent research revealed that Indians are more vulnerable genetically get to heart attacks and other lifestyle diseases than any other ethnic group in the world.

Improper food habits, lack of physical activity and this coupled with high level of stress and increase in smoking and alcohol consumption are all classic risk factors which can put one high on the risk zone of coronary heart diseases.

Obviously, this is mainly due to the changing lifestyles. Part of the blame falls on the adoption of a more Western lifestyle, involving fatty food and too little exercise.

The physical fitness status of school children in Kerala was not known till 1995. The sample survey conducted by the Directorate of Sports & YA, Govt. of Kerala in Thrissur district shows that the physical fitness standards of the school children is very low and do significantly differ with their age and sex when compared to American Alliance Health Physical Education Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Health Related Physical Fitness Test (HRPFT) standards. Moreover, the abdominal strength/ endurance of high school girl students show a decreasing trend when compared with lower classes (Manoj & Manoj, 1995).

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

1. The proportion of children and adolescents between 9 to 17 years of age, who are regularly participating in appropriate physical activities, particularly cardio-respiratory fitness programmes, which can be carried into adulthood, should be greater than 90% (Currently less than 30%).

2. The proportion of children and adolescence of 9 to 17 years of age, participating in daily physical education programmes should be greater than 60%. (Currently less than 5%)

3. The methodology for scientifically and systematically assessing the health related physical fitness of children and adolescence should be established and 100% of children and adolescence between the age group of 9 to 17 years, participating in such testing programme for assessing health related physical fitness.

PLAN AND MANAGEMENT DETAILS THE TESTING PROGRAMME

The total physical fitness testing programme is planning to implement through the three-tier system of local self government with help of education, health and sports departments. The programme aim to assess the health related physical fitness of 100% school going children which includes state schools, CBSE, ICSE, KV and Navodaya Vidyalayas. Current year (2008-09) the schools geloging to govt, aided and un-aided schools under going state syllabus only included. The Chairman's of the local level administrative committees should initiate the action to bring the other streams to undergo the programme by brings them into the consensus. The different level committees as mentioned below were suggested to implement the programme.

Visit website for uploading test data for sit-ups, pull-ups and other health measurements and for any queries related to TPFP.

Dates to remember-:
The last date for completing the testing program and uploading the data is extended upto 5th Feb 2009.

For more info visit-: http://www.tpfp.org/