Bokvist G.1
1Karolinska Institutet, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Stockholm, Sweden
Background: Functional tests are often used in clinical physiotherapeutic practice when assessing disability and activity in patients but are also used as a functional performance measurement in athletes. To regularly perform tests gives the opportunity to evaluate training programs and exercises being used to improve performance. Most studies on functional performance tests have been done on adults and sparsely on teenagers, girls in particular.
Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare three different functional performance hop tests on adolescent females attending three different high school programs with various levels of physical activities during school.
Methods: One hundred and eleven healthy high school girls, 37 subjects from an alpine ski program, 37 from a dance program and 37 from a traditional program, performed the one leg hop for distance, the side hop test and the square hop test at one test session. Except for the hop tests they also answered a questionnaire about demographic data and physical activity or sport participation.
Results: The study showed that the alpine ski group had better results of the three functional performance hop tests when compared with the other two groups. Significant differences were found between the alpine ski group and the dance group regarding the one-leg hop test for distance, left leg (p= 0,002); right leg (p= 0,037).
Conclusion(s): The result of this study also found that a battery of functional performance hop tests are needed instead of only one test, commonly the one-leg hop test for distance. The girls attending the three different high school programs participated in different types of physical activities or sports and at different levels. Further studies on adolescent females within this field are, however desirable in order to confirm our results.
Implications: Effect on performance regarding physical activity level among adolescent women.
Funding acknowledgements: Suzanne Werner, PhD, Associated Professor
Topic: Sport & sports injuries
Ethics approval: The Regional Ethics Committee in Stockholm.Sweden
Dnr 2006/833-31/1
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
