Predictive value of physical fitness on self-rated health: A longitudinal study

The self-rated health of adolescents and young adults is important for estimating future morbidities and mortality. Little is known about how physical fitness in younger populations predicts self-rated health. This longitudinal study (2003-2017) aims to explore the effects of physical fitness on self-rated health on the basis of the German population-based study KiGGS and its in-depth study, MoMo.

Self-rated health was assessed using a one-item scale, and physical fitness was measured with seven test items covering the dimensions of coordination, muscular fitness, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Longitudinal analyses were conducted using the structural equation modeling approach in Mplus 8.0 using the maximum likelihood estimator.

The longitudinal samples of the KiGGS/MoMo study (T1, n = 2376; T2, n = 2821; and T3, n = 2047) had a mean age of 8.5, 14.8, and 20.0 years at T1, T2, and T3, respectively. All measurement and structural models had excellent model fits. While the results of the latent regression analysis indicated moderate-to-high stability for the coordination and muscular fitness dimensions, only low-to-moderate stability coefficients were found for cardiorespiratory fitness and self-rated health. Furthermore, small significant cross-lagged regression coefficients revealed that coordination and muscular fitness predicted self-rated health at later measurement points.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study to demonstrate the positive predictive value of two dimensions of physical fitness, coordination and muscular fitness, on self-rated health at a later stage. The public health implications are highlighted.