Association of Abdominal Endurance with Body Mass Index and Playing Hours in Collegiate Cricket Players: An Observational Study

Abstract

Objective: To find the association between abdominal endurance, Body Mass Index and playing hours in collegiate cricket players. Study design: Observational study. Settings: Uka Tarsadia University, Bardoli, Gujarat, India. Participants: 101 collegiate male cricket players with ages ranging from 18-24 years. Outcome measures: The abdominal endurance of all the players were assessed using the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Curl-up test. Body mass index (BMI) and the number of playing hours per week were recorded as the other outcome measures. Results: The players exhibited excellent abdominal endurance. Pearson coefficient correlation test was used to assess the association of abdominal endurance with BMI and playing hours. The results showed that there was no association between abdominal endurance with BMI. However, there was a significant correlation found between abdominal endurance and plying hours in collegiate cricket players. Conclusion: It is concluded from the present study that abdominal endurance is associated with plying hours. Hence, for enhancing abdominal endurance one should consider increasing the playing hours, so as to improve overall performance. Also, the results showed that abdominal endurance is independent of BMI. KEY WORDS: Abdominal Endurance, Body Mass Index, Cricket, Sports Medicine, Crurl-Up Test.