CORRELATION BETWEEN PHYSICAL FITNESS AND BODY MASS INDEX

Background: Physical inactivity is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The aim of the present study was therefore, to co-relate the incidence and relationship between the measures of efficiency physical fitness and the body mass index. Method: A cross-sectional study was done to determine the correlation between the measures of efficiency fitness Index and body mass index. Subjects’ physical fitness & body mass index was assessed using standardized protocols. Result: Twenty-two young subjects (age group 18-25 years) participated in the study. The study revealed high prevalence of low fitness among obese subjects and significant correlation between the selected indices of physical fitness (efficiency fitness index) and body mass index. Conclusion: The results showed that the efficiency fitness index of the subjects differed significantly from one another in the various BMI categories, with the subjects of normal weight possessing a higher fitness than the overweight or obese subjects. Fitness capacity therefore decreased progressively as the BMI increased.