Abstract
Background: Despite the known benefits of physical activity (PA), most of the population in the United States fails to meet minimum recommended levels, and this lack of activity is believed to affect their health and well-being. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare lifestyle behaviors of exercise and sleep in low, moderate, and high performers for maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) and hand-grip strength (GS). Methods: Participants (n = 107, 19-62 years old) performed physical fitness assessments: estimated VO2max through submaximal cycle ergometry, and GS. Physical activity (PA) and sleep were assessed via self-reported questionnaires: physical activity as a vital sign (PAVS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants were categorized according to age and gender-specific normative values as low, medium, and high performer (LP, MP, and HP). Group characteristics were compared for each ranked variable using Kruskall-Wallis tests. Results: PAVS scores revealed 66.3% (n=68) of participants met minimum PA of 150 min/week (221.6 ± 177.8). According to VO2max performance groups, the LP group was taller, heavier, had higher diastolic blood pressure, and had a larger waist circumference than MP or HP (p =.000-.029), with moderate and high effect sizes. When categorized by relative GS, the LP group was heavier and had larger waist and hip circumferences than the HP group (p =.003-.011), all with high effect sizes. Conclusion: Despite high levels of self-report PA in this cohort, this did not translate to better cardiorespiratory fitness or muscular strength. Participants met PA guidelines but achieved suboptimal scores for VO2max and GS signifying elevated risk of mortality. The incongruity between PA levels and fitness classification suggest that lifestyle habits may not be a suitable surrogate for objective measurement of fitness.
Highlights
Physical activity (PA) and associated physical fitness (PF) are important modifiable factors in determining health and longevity
physical activity as a vital sign (PAVS) revealed that participants engaged in 4.1 ± 1.7 days/ week of moderate/vigorous exercise, 50.6 ± 28.0 min/day of PA, and 221.6 ± 177.8 min/week of PA
Strength training was reported an average of 2.4 ± 1.8 days/week, with 66.4% (n = 71) of participants achieving the recommended two days/week
Summary
Physical activity (PA) and associated physical fitness (PF) are important modifiable factors in determining health and longevity. Measurement of PF allows for assessing level of performance and charting progress over time for comparison to recommended guidelines or to normative ranges. Despite the known benefits of physical activity (PA), most of the population in the United States fails to meet minimum recommended levels, and this lack of activity is believed to affect their health and well-being. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare lifestyle behaviors of exercise and sleep in low, moderate, and high performers for maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) and hand-grip strength (GS). Methods: Participants (n = 107, 1962 years old) performed physical fitness assessments: estimated VO2max through submaximal cycle ergometry, and GS. According to VO2max performance groups, the LP group was taller, heavier, had higher diastolic blood pressure, and had a larger waist circumference than MP or HP (p =.000-.029), with moderate and high effect sizes. The incongruity between PA levels and fitness classification suggest that lifestyle habits may not be a suitable surrogate for objective measurement of fitness
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