Determination of Physical Fitness Index in First Year Medical Students by Harvard Step Test

Abstract

Physical fitness is taken as one of the most important parameter in evaluating a person's ability to perform strenuous activities like sports, military forces, etc. The following study was done to determine the physical fitness among first year boys who were physically active and those who lead a sedentary life. Material- 60 male students taken from among the first year students, divided into two groups of 30 subjects each. One group contains only physically active students and the other group contains only sedentary students. They were made to exercise on the Harvard Step Test and their Physical Fitness Index was calculated. Result- It was seen that the group with physically active subjects showed better result in comparison to sedentary group. Conclusion- Harvard Step Test can be used as a good measure of cardiovascular fitness.