ADULT PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST AND PHYSICAL FITNESS STATUS OF JAPANESE ADULTS (REPORT II)

Abstract

In the field of research in physical exercises utilized for the school physical education, sports competitions and recreation, much regarding those for younger generation by various serious-minded and academic workers have been introduced, and enriched the background for why of the physical exercises needed for the human welfare and life. As far as those for the middle and old aged adults are concerned, however, the research works especially on the reliable standards of physical fitness assessment, together with those for the human infants and young children have long been ignored. While a number of the physical fitness test batteries are available and also applied to young people in many countries today, those for the adult generation are still few as the bibliographical survey reveals to us. The Ministry of Education in Japan, accepting the advice of the Health and Physical Education Council, has prepared a set of "Adult Physical fitness Test" in this regard, and encouraged a nation-wide application of the test since 1966, in succession to its youth physical fitness tests. This report, therefore, deals mainly with the result of 1966 statistical survey of the test in addition to a brief description on the test, which was introduced by the author as an initia1 pre-test form. Some test items included in youth physical fitness tests, such as (1)back-strength, (2) trunk extension and flexion, (3) step-test, and (4) endurance run were omitted due to expected danger and accidents for the elderly populations that may be inactive and ill-trained in their daily lives. It is the author's wish that some refernce data to this report may be presented later so that a continuous cross-cultural and inter-nationak comparison may be enabled and developed further.