Abstract / Summary
Abstract Background The vertical jump test is a valid and reliable field-based method to assess lower-body muscular strength and physical fitness in youth. However, updated normative reference values for sport-participating children and adolescents in Spain are lacking. Objective This study aimed to establish normative reference values for the vertical jump in sport-participating children and adolescents in Spain and to characterize age- and sex-specific patterns in vertical jump performance as an indicator of lower‑body muscular strength. Methods A total of 3,525 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years involved in different extracurricular sports participated in this study. A countermovement jump test with free arm swing was conducted to establish percentile values for vertical jump performance. Percentile curves and age- and sex-specific normative values were generated using Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape. Results Updated normative reference values for vertical jump height were obtained and stratified by age and sex. Boys generally showed higher vertical jump values than girls. Both boys and girls showed an increase in vertical jump performance with age, with larger descriptive differences between the sexes emerging after age 12–13, particularly at higher percentiles. Conclusion This study provides reliable normative reference values that can be used to monitor lower-body muscular strength in school-age populations and describe the relative position of youth within the reference population, thereby supporting physical fitness assessment and surveillance initiatives.