R. Rauramaa et al., PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY AND HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS IN MIDDLE-AGED MEN, Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 27(5), 1995, pp. 707-712
The relation of habitual physical activity to various components of he
alth-related fitness as well as the 12-month repeatability of the meas
urements were investigated in middle-aged men. Physical activity was a
ssessed by 7-d recall interview. In the men with cardiopulmonary or mu
sculoskeletal diseases total energy expenditure (TEE) correlated direc
tly with maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and inversely with the sum of
skinfolds, serum triglycerides, and plasma fibrinogen. Energy expendit
ure at rest (REE) associated inversely to VO2max and directly to skinf
olds. In the healthy men REE correlated inversely with VO2max and HDL-
cholesterol, and directly with skinfolds. TEE correlated directly with
skinfolds but was not associated with VO2max. The associations were s
imilar at both examinations. Correlation coefficients between baseline
and follow-up examinations of TEE, REE, VO2max, and sum of skinfolds
were 0.60, 0.84, 0.88, and, and 0.87 for the diseased men, and 0.52, 0
.70, 0.86, and 0.91 for the healthy men, respectively (P < 0.001). Hab
itual physical activity associate beneficially to cardiorespiratory fi
tness, body fatness and CHD risk factors, essential components of heal
th-related fitness, in middle-aged men with chronic diseases.