Self-rated Physical Fitness Research Articles

The Relationship between Self-Rated Health and Physical Fitness in Polish Youth.

Self-rated health (SRH) is a tool for assessing a population's health across the lifetime, and seems to be a dynamic assessment of current health status and a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease and mortality, whereas insufficient levels of physical fitness in adolescence are a significant health problem and may contribute to the development of many disorders in adulthood. In this cross-sectional study, we attempted to assess the relationship between SRH and the physical fitness of adolescents. Two hundred and thirty-five adolescents (eighty-five boys and one hundred and fifty girls) aged 16-17 were recruited for this study. The study procedures included a short author questionnaire and physical fitness assessment (Zuchora's Physical Fitness Index). Boys declared better health states and reported less frequent morbidity of seasonal diseases (p < 0.05). No differences were found in physical fitness, the incidence of postural disorders, lower limb malalignments, foot deformities, sleep duration, and perception of physical activity on physical condition and well-being in boys and girls (p > 0.05). The comparison of physical fitness levels in adolescents with different SRH, sleep duration, perceptions of physical activity on physical condition and well-being also showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Positive SRH and perception of physical activity on physical condition and well-being, proper sleep duration (7-8 h/night), and a lack of foot deformities are associated with a better physical fitness in adolescents. Physical fitness seems to be a good predictor of SRH only in Polish boys, but not girls and the entire population. The lack of significance in the entire population could be attributed to the substantial number of girls in the study group. Despite that, it is recommended to encourage adolescents to engage in regular exercises, sleep routines and healthy lifestyles. Further research should be based on a more representative group, with a comparable number of girls and boys in the study group and potential confounders, but also they should be focused on SRH predictors to improve SRH in Polish girls.

Midlife cardiovascular health factors as predictors of retirement age, work-loss years, and years spent in retirement among older businessmen

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of premature retirement. However, the relationship between CVD risk factors and workforce participation is not well known. We studied the relationship between midlife CVD risk, age at retirement, work-loss years, and survival in retirement. Middle-aged Finnish men (initial n = 3490, mean age = 47.8 years) were assessed for CVD risk factors and general health in the 1970s. They worked as business executives and provided information on their retirement status in the year 2000. Survival was followed up to the 9th decade of life with a follow-up of up to 44 years. Work-loss years were calculated as death or retirement occurring at age ≤ 65 years. Smoking, body mass index, and alcohol use were used as covariates, excluding models of CVD risk, which were adjusted for alcohol use only. Higher risk of 10-year fatal CVD was associated with 0.32 more years (relative risk < 1 vs. 1, covariate-adjusted β = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.13, 0.53) of work-loss. Higher risk of 5-year incident (covariate-adjusted time-constant HR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.19, 1.47) and 10-year fatal (covariate-adjusted time-dependent HR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.30, 1.85) CVD in midlife were associated with fewer years spent in retirement. Poorer self-rated health and physical fitness and higher levels of triglycerides were associated with increased hazard of earlier retirement, more work-loss years, and fewer years spent in retirement. Poorer health and greater midlife CVD risk may be associated with earlier exit from the workforce and fewer years spent in retirement. Management of CVD risk in midlife may support people to work longer.

Active or Passive Aging? Analysis of Selected Socioeconomic Factors in the Polish Population.

The aim of this study was to identify the factors that determined the participation of people aged 60 years and older in physical activity (PA) at least once or more frequently in the year before the survey. The analysis included sociodemographic variables, any certificate of disability, level of physical fitness, and declared sports skills. The study used data from the "Participation of Poles in Sports and Physical Recreation in 2012" survey (designed and conducted by Statistics Poland). Questionnaires from 2724 people qualified for analysis. An analysis of frequency and odds ratio (followed by logistic regression analysis) was used to evaluate the determinants of participation of older adults in PA. Participation in PA was declared by 23.7%, most often by older adults aged 60-64 years (chi2 = 67.72; p < 0.001). With age, the likelihood of participation in PA declined until the age of 75, when the percentage of active participants increased to 27.4%. Of the variables analyzed (logistic regression model), only very good (p < 0.001) and good (p = 0.002) levels of self-rated physical fitness, secondary (p = 0.014) or tertiary (p = 0.003) education, and a higher number of declared sports skills (p < 0.001) had a favorable effect on the frequency of participation in PA. The low PA of Poles aged 60 years and over (especially those entering retirement age) requires social intervention. Instead of focusing sports policy on increasing the number of participants, it seems more reasonable to focus on individuals living in rural areas with lower socio-professional status and physical fitness. It is necessary to use an individual approach (according to abilities, skill level, and needs) and create systems of interrelations that would provide older adults with support (including the use of social resources).

Self‐rated physical fitness and measured cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and body composition

The purpose was to examine the correlation and association between a single-item question of self-rated physical fitness and objective measures of fitness and cardiometabolic risk factors in a large population-based study. Participants were 3441 men and women aged 18-85years who filled in a questionnaire and participated in a clinical health examination in the Danish Health Examination Survey 2007-2008. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated by an indirect maximal exercise test. Muscle strength was measured by (a) sit-to-stand test, (b) handgrip strength, and (c) bent arm strength. Body mass index and fat percentage were used as measures for body composition. Associations were derived from regression analyses, correlations were calculated using Spearman's correlation test, and agreement was tested by kappa statistics. Within categories of self-rated physical fitness moving from lowest to highest, objectively measured cardiorespiratory fitness increased. Self-rated physical fitness was strongly correlated to cardiorespiratory fitness (rmen =0.69 and rwomen =0.65) and moderately correlated to the sit-to-stand test (rmen =0.49 and rwomen =0.48), bent arm strength (r = 0.45) and fat percentage (r = 0.46) among men, and handgrip strength among women (r =0.41). Mutually adjusted analysis showed a significant association between self-reported physical fitness and cardiorespiratory fitness for men and women and bent arm strength for women. The single-item question of physical fitness was correlated to cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, and body composition. However, this study suggests that it mainly captures cardiorespiratory fitness. At the population level, the single-item question could be a useful tool to identify and monitor variation in fitness levels.

Associations between lifestyle, erectile dysfunction and healthcare seeking: a population-based study

Objective: To investigate associations between age, lifestyle and erectile dysfunction (ED) in the general population and to explore associations between age, lifestyle and contact with a general practitioner (GP) regarding ED.Design: Cross-sectional web-based questionnaire study.Setting: The general Danish population.Subjects: A randomly selected sample of 48,910 men aged 20 years and older.Main outcome measures: Prevalence of ED and probability of contacting a GP regarding ED. In logistic regression models we analysed associations between age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), and self-rated physical fitness on both ED and GP contact.Results: A total of 22,198 men (47.6%) completed the question regarding ED. The overall prevalence of ED was 19.3%, varying from 2.3% among men aged 20–29 years to 55.3% among men aged 80 years and above. 31.8% of men reporting ED had contacted a GP regarding ED. Increasing age, current or former smoking, complete alcohol abstinence or alcohol consumption above seven units per week, high BMI, and poor self-rated physical fitness were significantly associated with reporting ED. The proportion of GP contacts was significantly associated with age. Overall, no significant associations between lifestyle and healthcare seeking were observed, although lower odds of GP contact were found when physical fitness was rated as poor.Conclusion: Reporting ED and GP contact were significantly associated with age. Furthermore, lifestyle was significantly associated with reporting ED, but largely not associated with healthcare seeking. These findings are important for future interventions aiming to improve diagnosis and treatment of ED.Key pointsExperiencing erectile dysfunction is frequent in the general population, especially among older men. • In this large-scale national survey, age and lifestyle were significantly associated with reporting erectile dysfunction. • Healthcare seeking with erectile dysfunction was significantly associated with age, but not with lifestyle. • Diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction might be challenged when erectile dysfunction does not lead to healthcare seeking.

The Positive Relationships of Playfulness With Indicators of Health, Activity, and Physical Fitness.

Adult playfulness is a personality trait that enables people to frame or reframe everyday situations in such a way that they experience them as entertaining, intellectually stimulating, or personally interesting. Earlier research supports the notion that playfulness is associated with the pursuit of an active way of life. While playful children are typically described as being active, only limited knowledge exists on whether playfulness in adults is also associated with physical activity. Additionally, existing literature has not considered different facets of playfulness, but only global playfulness. Therefore, we employed a multifaceted model that allows distinguishing among Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical playfulness. For narrowing this gap in the literature, we conducted two studies addressing the associations of playfulness with health, activity, and fitness. The main aim of Study 1 was a comparison of self-ratings (N = 529) and ratings from knowledgeable others (N = 141). We tested the association of self- and peer-reported playfulness with self- and peer-reported physical activity, fitness, and health behaviors. There was a good convergence of playfulness among self- and peer-ratings (between r = 0.46 and 0.55, all p < 0.001). Data show that both self- and peer-ratings are differentially associated with physical activity, fitness, and health behaviors. For example, self-rated playfulness shared 3% of the variance with self-rated physical fitness and 14% with the pursuit of an active way of life. Study 2 provides data on the association between self-rated playfulness and objective measures of physical fitness (i.e., hand and forearm strength, lower body muscular strength and endurance, cardio-respiratory fitness, back and leg flexibility, and hand and finger dexterity) using a sample of N = 67 adults. Self-rated playfulness was associated with lower baseline and activity (climbing stairs) heart rate and faster recovery heart rate (correlation coefficients were between −0.19 and −0.24 for global playfulness). Overall, Study 2 supported the findings of Study 1 by showing positive associations of playfulness with objective indicators of physical fitness (primarily cardio-respiratory fitness). The findings represent a starting point for future studies on the relationships between playfulness, and health, activity, and physical fitness.

The Association Between Self-Rated Fitness and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Adults

To assess criterion validity of a single item question on self-rated physical fitness against objectively measured cardiorespiratory fitness. From the Health2008 study 749 men and women between 30 and 60 years of age rated their fitness as excellent, very good, good, fair or poor. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated with the watt-max test. Agreement between self-rated and objectively measured physical fitness was assessed by Cohen's weighted kappa coefficient. Correlation was determined by Goodman & Kruskal's gamma correlation coefficient. All analyses were stratified according to gender. Data from 323 men and 426 women were analysed. There was a slight agreement between self-rated and objectively measured fitness in men (weighted kappa: 0.18, [95%CI: 0.13;0.23]) and a fair agreement in women (weighted kappa: 0.27, [95%CI: 0.22;0.32]). In both genders, self-rated fitness was positively correlated with objectively measured fitness (moderate correlation; gamma correlation coefficient for men: 0.63 [95%CI: 0.54;0.72] and women: 0.67 [95%CI: 0.59;0.75]). There was a slight to fair agreement and moderate, positive correlations between self-rated physical fitness and watt-max estimated cardiorespiratory fitness. Hence, a single-item question on physical fitness may be a cost-effective method of assessing fitness in large population studies, but is not valid for individual assessments.

Self-rated physical fitness and estimated maximal oxygen uptake in relation to all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

This study investigated the longitudinal associations of self-rated physical fitness and estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. A total of 59741 participants in the Finnish National FINRISK Study Cohort had data on self-rated physical fitness and covariates. A subsample of 4823 participants had estimated VO2max data. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 38years. Associations of self-rated physical fitness and VO2max with mortality were analyzed using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. The study showed that poor self-rated physical fitness was related to all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-2.0) and mortality due to cardiovascular (HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.9-2.2), cerebrovascular (HR 1.9, 95% CI 1.6-2.2) and respiratory diseases (HR 2.1, 95% CI 1.9-2.4), trauma (HR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.0), infections (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.7), dementia (HR 1.9, 95% CI 1.6-2.3), and cancer (HR 1.7, 95% CI 1.5-1.9). Coexisting higher age, physical inactivity, male gender, and severe chronic conditions further increased the risk. In men, higher VO2max was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer mortality (HR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-0.96). Based on the results, self-rated physical fitness reflects a combination of unfavorable biological and lifestyle-related factors, which increase mortality risk. A simple question about perceived physical fitness may reveal at-risk individuals who would benefit from more intensive treatment of chronic conditions and other interventions aiming to promote better fitness and well-being.

Is Sedentary Lifestyle Associated With Testicular Function? A Cross-Sectional Study of 1,210 Men.

Based on cross-sectional data on 1,210 healthy young Danish men, we investigated whether sedentary lifestyle was associated with testicular function (semen quality and reproductive hormones) independent of physical activity. The men were invited to participate in the study between 2008 and 2012, when they attended a compulsory medical examination to determine their fitness for military service. Information on sedentary behavior (television watching and computer time) and physical activity was obtained by questionnaire. The men had a physical examination, delivered a semen sample, and had a blood sample drawn. Time spent watching television, but not time sitting in front of a computer, was associated with lower sperm counts. Men who watched television more than 5 hours/day had an adjusted sperm concentration of 37 million/mL (95% confidence interval (CI): 30, 44) versus 52 million/mL (95% CI: 43, 62) among men who did not watch television; total sperm counts in those 2 groups were 104 million (95% CI: 84, 126) and 158 million (95% CI: 130, 189), respectively. Furthermore, an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone and decreases in testosterone and the testosterone/luteinizing hormone ratio were detected in men watching many hours of television. Self-rated physical fitness, but not time spent on physical activity, was positively associated with sperm counts.

Self-rated Physical Fitness And Estimated Maximal Oxygen Uptake In Relation To All-cause And Cause-specific Mortality

Self-rated Physical Fitness And Estimated Maximal Oxygen Uptake In Relation To All-cause And Cause-specific Mortality

Determinants of Self-Rated Health and Self-Rated Physical Fitness in Middle and Old Age

Self-rated health (SRH) correlates with psychological factors, mortality and functional capacity. Self-rated physical fitness (SRF) has been examined less, and the relationship between SRH and SRF is unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the determinants, differences and similarities of these concepts in middle and old age. In total, 2,000 persons at the mean age of 50.6 years were examined at baseline, and 1,449 were re-examined when they were aged between 65–79 years. On both occasions, the participants underwent a comprehensive clinical examination and health status/habit assessment. We found a strong correlation between SRH and SRF. In midlife, low income, hopelessness, active use of healthcare services, physical inactivity, angina pectoris, arthropathy and elevated blood pressure were associated with both poor SRH and SRF. In old age, high income, alcohol abstinence, physical inactivity, hopelessness, difficulties in activities of daily living, angina pectoris, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and musculoskeletal disease of the back, and (in men) urinary tract infection were associated with poor SRH and SRF. Income, hopelessness, physical inactivity and angina pectoris correlated with both instruments in both age groups. A wider range of variables was associated with SRH than with SRF. The determinants of SRH and SRF were relatively similar in the younger and older age groups. However, SRH appeared to be a more multi-dimensional instrument than SRF. SRH and SRF are considered reliable indicators of mental and physical health status, and should be accorded more importance when evaluating health among middle-aged and older people.

Leisure-time Physical Activity, Self-rated Physical Fitness And Well-being In Women At Risk For Gestational Diabetes

Leisure-time Physical Activity, Self-rated Physical Fitness And Well-being In Women At Risk For Gestational Diabetes

Educational differences in self-rated physical fitness among Finns

BackgroundThe high educated live longer and healthier lives when compared to the low educated. Physical fitness as a health indicator reflects the level of physical activity along with other health-influencing factors such as obesity, smoking, chronic diseases and individual training effects. Studies support that self-rated physical fitness correlates with objectively measured physical fitness well. However, the educational differences in self-rated physical fitness are not known.MethodsOur aim was to study educational differences in self-rated physical fitness in Finnish population. The data were collected in 2007 for a cross-sectional population based National FINRISK Study. The analyzed data included 2722 men and 3108 women aged 25 to 74 years. Statistical method was ordinal logistic regression.ResultsLonger educational career was associated with better self-rated physical fitness. The educational differences in self-rated physical fitness were largely explained by health behavior. Leisure-time physical activity explained fully and body mass index partly the educational differences in self-rated physical fitness among men. The combination of body mass index, history of chronic diseases and smoking explained the differences fully among men and partly among women. Leisure-time, occupational and commuting physical activities, body mass index, history of chronic diseases and smoking together explained all educational differences in self-rated physical fitness among both genders.ConclusionsAlthough educational differences in self-rated physical fitness were found, they were explained by health behavior related factors. Leisure-time physical activity offered the strongest single explanation for the educational differences in self-rated physical fitness. Thus, possibilities for leisure-time physical activity should be increased especially among the low educated.

How Healthy Are Ambulance Personnel in Central Europe?

The health status of ambulance personnel (AP) has an important impact on the quality of patient care. The aim of this study is to analyze the self-fperceived health of AP. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Hungarian AP, in which anonymous data (n = 364 subjects) were evaluated by descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Those AP who reported engaging in any amount of exercise experienced better self-rated health (odds ratio [OR]: 1.7 confidence interval [CI] 95% [1.2, 2.7]) and self-rated physical fitness (OR: 2.0 CI 95% [1.2, 2.9]), and reported less limitation in daily activities due to health problems (OR: 2.4 CI 95% [1.4, 4.0]). Those AP who reported feeling more overall stress reported 2.1 times (CI 95% [1.3, 3.2]) worse health and 1.9 (CI 95% [1.2, 2.8]) times worse self-rated physical fitness. Possibly, physical fitness protocols should be implemented and required or advised for all AP.

Major contributing factors of self perceived health in Hungarian ambulance personnel

Health status of ambulance personnel has an important impact on the quality of patient care. Surveys in some smaller regions of Hungary have been conducted on health behavior of ambulance personnel; however they do not mirror the complexity of multidimensional health status in this respect. The aim of the present study is to examine the self-perceived health status of ambulance personnel (AP) and its most salient work related and individual factors. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was carried out among AP of the Hungarian National Ambulance and Emergency Service in 2008. The survey covered all the regions and sample taking ensured the study to be of representative value. Anonymously 364 individuals gave their answers that could be evaluated. After data procession and coding, records were statistically analyzed by SPSS 15.0. Spearman correlation, chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to measure the significance of variables. The survey was conducted with a self-fill-in questionnaire measuring the following dimensions of self-perceived health: self-rated health, self-rated physical fitness and limitation in daily activities by health problems. The results revealed that self-perceived general health status of ambulance personnel does not differ significantly among the emergency units in many terms. However, there are significant differences regarding the complexity of the duties what they have to deal. In their self rated health 1.9 times (95% CI:1.2-2.8), in their self rated physical fitness 2.0 times (95% CI:1.3-3) and in the limitation of daily activities by health problems 1.9 times (95% CI:1.2-3.1) those ambulance personnel feel more favorable who do any kind of sports activity. Generally they experience serious stress; they have not enough leisure time and hardly do sport. Due to their bad lifestyle all fifth ambulance personnel suffer from serious obesity. Physical activity may enhance self perceived health even though if the person delivers physical symptoms. Regular training to increase the physical fitness should be implemented for ambulance personnel that could well contribute to copying with psychological trauma.

Lifestyle intervention for type 2 diabetes patients – trial protocol of The Copenhagen Type 2 Diabetes Rehabilitation Project

BackgroundCurrent guidelines recommend education, physical activity and changes in diet for type 2 diabetes patients, yet the composition and organization of non-pharmacological care are still controversial. Therefore, it is very important that programmes aiming to improve non-pharmacological treatment of type 2 diabetes are developed and evaluated. The Copenhagen Type 2 Diabetes Rehabilitation Project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a new group-based lifestyle rehabilitation programme in a Health Care Centre in primary care.Methods/DesignThe group-based diabetes rehabilitation programme consists of empowerment-based education, supervised exercise and dietary intervention. The effectiveness of this multi-disciplinary intervention is compared with conventional individual counselling in a Diabetes Outpatient Clinic and evaluated in a prospective and randomized controlled trial. During the recruitment period of 18 months 180 type 2 diabetes patients will be randomized to the intervention group and the control group. Effects on glycaemic control, quality of life, self-rated diabetes symptoms, body composition, blood pressure, lipids, insulin resistance, beta-cell function and physical fitness will be examined after 6, 12 and 24 months.DiscussionThe Copenhagen Type 2 Diabetes Rehabilitation Project evaluates a multi-disciplinary non-pharmacological intervention programme in a primary care setting and provides important information about how to organize non-pharmacological care for type 2 diabetes patients.Trail RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00284609.

Prevalence and Correlates of Strength Training among Japanese Adults: Analysis of the SSF National Sports-Life Survey 2006

The purpose of the present study was to examine the prevalence of strength training among Japanese adults, and to identify the characteristics of individuals who engage in strength training regularly. The current data was collected from 3000 randomly selected Japanese adults in the SSF National Sports-Life Survey 2006 (Sasakawa Sports Foundation, 2006). The response rate was 62.2%. As a result, the prevalence of regular strength training (more than 2 times per week) was 3.9%. In particular, the rates of regular strength training were low in older individuals (60-69 years were 2.5%, over 70 years were 0.6%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that age, gender, smoking habit, and self-rated physical fitness were significantly correlated with regular strength training. These findings indicate that the majority of Japanese do not participate strength training, especially among the elderly, women, smokers, and those with a lower degree of physical fitness.

Factors Associated with Discharge during Marine Corps Basic Training

This prospective study assessed risk factors for discharge from basic training (BT) among 2,137 male Marine Corps recruits between February and April 2003. Physical and demographic characteristics, exercise, and previous lower extremity injuries before arrival at Marine Corps Recruit Depot were assessed by questionnaire during intake processing. Stress fractures were confirmed by x-ray, triple-phase bone scan, or magnetic resonance imaging. Overall, 223 (10.4%) participants were discharged from training. In addition to the occurrence of a stress fracture during BT, older age (>23 years), non-Hispanic race, poor incoming self-rated physical fitness, no history of competitive exercise, and an incoming lower extremity injury with incomplete recovery were independent risk factors for discharge. Strategies to identify and allow the proper healing time for pre-BT lower extremity injuries, including interventions to improve the physical fitness of recruits before BT and reduce stress fractures during BT, may be indicated to lower attrition.

Self-reported physical activity compared with maximal oxygen uptake in adults

Physical activity level and cardiorespiratory fitness are both inversely associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases and with all-cause mortality. Physical activity questionnaires are often validated against objectively measured maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). To validate a self-report physical activity questionnaire against VO2max and furthermore to establish whether a simple question on self-rated physical fitness could predict objectively measured VO2max. A total of 102 men and women aged between 35 and 65 years were recruited from an ongoing population-based intervention study, the Inter99 Study. Participants reported their self-rated fitness and daily physical activity using a new questionnaire based on metabolic equivalents (MET). VO2max (ml/kg per min) was determined using a graded bicycle test with increasing workload until exhaustion and with simultaneous measurement of breath-to-breath oxygen uptake in 15-s periods. Statistical analyses were performed by linear regression analyses using the self-reported physical activity level as an independent variable and VO2max (l/min) as an dependent variable, and with covariates sex, age and bodyweight. Data from 53 men and 47 women were analysed. The amount of daily vigorous activity (>6 MET) was significantly positively associated with VO2max (P=0.0001, R=0.76), whereas the total amount of physical activity was not significantly associated with VO2max (P=0.098, R=0.69). A significant trend across three groups of self-rated fitness in relation to VO2max (ml/kg per min) was found (P for trend <0.0001). The physical activity questionnaire has acceptable validity when compared with VO2max in adult men and women. Furthermore, a simple question on self-rated fitness seems to reflect measured VO2max objectively.

Associations of leisure time physical activity, self-rated physical fitness, and estimated aerobic fitness with serum C-reactive protein among 3803 adults

Objective Serum C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Obesity and physical activity are associated with CRP, though population studies are sparse. Methods and results We assessed the cross-sectional relationship of physical activity, self-rated fitness and estimated aerobic fitness with serum CRP among a population-based random sample of 3803 Finnish adults aged 25–74 years. Conditioning, commuting and non-conditioning physical activity was measured by a recall and self-rated physical fitness by a questionnaire. A non-exercise test was used to estimate aerobic fitness. The combined association of aerobic fitness and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) on CRP was also assessed. Self-rated fitness and aerobic fitness had inverse associations with CRP (adjusted for age, WHR, smoking, anti-hypertensive drugs, aspirin, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hormone replacement therapy and menopausal status) in both sexes ( p < 0.001). An inverse age-adjusted association of conditioning and non-conditioning physical activity with CRP was found in both sexes. After further adjustments, associations remained significant in women for conditioning and non-conditioning activity ( p < 0.001 and p = 0.010, respectively) and borderline significant in men ( p = 0.074 and p = 0.070, respectively). Commuting physical activity was inversely associated with CRP among women only ( p = 0.012). Conclusions Physical activity and fitness may have an anti-inflammatory effect, which is independent of obesity.