The aim of the present study was to determine the responsiveness of the health-related field-based physical fitness tests used in adults. A total of 62 non-active participants aged 18 to 64 years were randomized into the intervention (n=31) or control group (n=31). The exercise program included 3 sessions/wk (60 min/session) of multicomponent exercise training for 12 weeks. The control group continued with their usual routines. Pre-post differences were explored with pairwise comparison ANOVA for each group. Percentage of change and the size effect were also calculated. The proportion of responders/non-responders and percentage of the population that was expected to respond to the intervention were calculated. Characteristics of study groups were similar at baseline (all P>0.05). All tests were found to be responsive (all P<0.01) after the exercise program, except the waist circumference measurement (P=0.09); with an effects size of moderate to large (Cohen’s d >0.50), except to the weight, body mass index, waist circumference and handgrip tests with trivial effect sizes (P>0.05, Cohen’s d<0.20). The highest proportion of individual responders based on the standard deviation was observed in the 4×10-m shuttle run, 30-s sit-to-stand, 6-m gait speed and timed up & go tests. The proportion of the population that was expected to respond to the intervention was higher than 85% in most of the field-based physical fitness tests evaluated. Overall, all health-related field-based physical fitness tests were found to be responsive after a multicomponent exercise intervention regardless sex and age.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This project was supported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness in the 2017 call for R&D Projects of the State Program for Research, Development and Innovation Targeting the Challenges of the Company; National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013–2016 (DEP2017–88043–R). National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2017–2020 (PN/EPIF–FPU–CT/FPU20/02938), and the Regional Government of Andalusia and University of Cadiz: Research and Knowledge Transfer Fund (PPIT–FPI19–GJ4F–10)

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