Systematic review finds adequate flexibility in over sixty percent of Brazilian youth, highlighting consistent reliance on the sit-and-reach test across fitness batteries.
This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesize recent scientific evidence on flexibility levels in Brazilian children and adolescents. A systematic search was conducted between August and October 2025 in five databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, Web of Science, and SciELO). Of the 13,880 potential references retrieved by the searches, 19 met the inclusion criteria and composed the descriptive synthesis. The included studies were published between 2020 and 2024 and included 11,056 participants (5,955 boys) from different regions of Brazil. All studies assessed flexibility using the sit-and-reach test, although different test and batteries were adopted, including PROESP-BR®, Wells & Dillon, Fitnessgram®/ Eurofit, and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology protocol. The average prevalence of adequate flexibility among Brazilian children and adolescents was 61.0%, ranging from 21.2% to 81.0%. Among girls, the average prevalence was 61.9%, while among boys it was 60.3%. Overall, the results indicate that more than half of Brazilian children and adolescents have adequate levels of flexibility. Sit-and-reach test remains the most used protocol to evaluate flexibility in Brazilian children and adolescents.
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