 |
The understanding of the term "physical fitness.
was determined for a randomly selected sample (n = 94)
of a population using a self-administered mailed
questionnaire. Subjects were asked to state and give a
reason for their perceived level of physical fitness, to
state their perceived performance level in a number of
physical fitness tests (muscular strength, daily
physical work capacity, fatness, level of regular
physical exercise, exercise speed, and body
flexibility), and to rate how well these tests measure
physical fitness. The reason most frequently stated for
perceived level of physical fitness was the level of
habitual physical activity (43%); significantly less
frequently (P less than 0.01-0.0001) cited were reasons
related to health (23%), physical performance (12%), and
obesity (3%). The variation in perceived level of
physical fitness was best explained by the variation in
imagined regular exercise and fatness (r2 = 0.66, P less
than 0.0001) with no significant additional contribution
from imagined performance in remaining fitness tests.
The measurement of regular exercise was most favored as
a test of physical fitness. These results, taken
together with evidence of the physical and psychological
health benefits of regular exercise, imply that the most
appropriate measure of physical fitness for the average
person is an assessment of the habitual physical
activity level.
Source: Dr. Jonathan
Sanders
|
