Associations between fitness tests and the international physical activity questionnaire-short form in healthy men

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the components of health-related fitness (flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, and cardiorespiratory) with the outcomes of short version of International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Four hundred eight healthy men (aged 21-43 years) answered the IPAQ-SF and performed the following tests: sit-and-reach, hand grip dynamometer, sit-ups and push-ups, and 20-m shuttle run test. The weekly energy expenditure expressed in metabolic equivalent task minutes per week (METs min·wk) from all IPAQ-SF categories showed a significant association with the flexibility (p < 0.05) and the cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.05). The METs min·wk of vigorous-intensity physical activity (PA) and total PA score were significantly correlated with upper-body muscular endurance (p < 0.05). In addition, 44% (n = 176) of the subjects presented high PA level and showed greater flexibility, upper-body muscular endurance, and cardiorespiratory fitness than subjects who presented moderate and low PA levels (p < 0.05). In conclusion, IPAQ-SF's outcomes reflect not only the association with the cardiorespiratory fitness but also the flexibility and the upper-body muscular endurance.