Health-related fitness test battery for middle-aged adults: associations with physical activity patterns

To evaluate the validity of a health-related fitness (HRFI) test battery with respect to physical activity (PA), we studied how PA patterns of adults are related to different components of HRFI with special interest in musculoskeletal and motor fitness. Subjects (n = 498) were middle-aged (37-57 years) men and women, evenly selected from five age cohorts of a representative population sample. PA was assessed with a questionnaire and classified into three PA groups. Fitness assessment included 9 simple field tests. The odds ratio of low fitness (least fit 40 %) of the measured dimension of HRFI for three PA groups with reference to inactive group were analysed. All PA groups were strongly related to Walk Test results in both genders, and to BMI in women. Muscular type exercise was associated with modified push-ups strength and static back extension endurance in both genders, and with one-leg standing balance in women. One-leg squat for leg strength, jump-and-reach for leg power, trunk side-bending flexibility and hamstring muscle extensibility tests were not associated with PA. Five of the nine fitness tests demonstrated plausible associations with PA patterns among adults suggesting activity-related validity. An exercise intervention study is needed to evaluate the sensitivity of the tests to fitness changes.