Evaluation of physical fitness in an ambulatory setting

The purpose of this study was to perform a brief physical fitness evaluation for ambulatory gynecologic patients and to determine whether a woman's perceived fitness level corresponded to her actual level. Except for patient report of exercise activity, no objective measures of fitness are assessed during annual gynecologic office visits.

Written surveys and physical measurements were administered to 103 healthy women during their annual gynecologic visit. Patient self-report of fitness level, compared with actual fitness level determined by physical testing, was used as the main outcome measure.

Physical fitness testing took 5-7 minutes to administer in a 3 x 2.2-meter office area. The woman's report of physical fitness did not correlate with actual fitness; rather, percent body fat as calculated by Lange skinfold caliper correlated most accurately with overall fitness (correlation coefficient, -0.389). Body mass index was correlated less strongly with a coefficient of -0.274; surprisingly, the waist/hip ratio had the weakest correlation to fitness (correlation coefficient, -0.129).

Patient report does not appear to correlate with actual physical fitness. Physicians may consider initiating an objective measure, such as body fat measurement as calculated by Lange skinfold calipers, to the routine examination.