TITLE:
Health Related Physical Fitness Measures: Reference Values and Predictive Equations for Saudi Female College Students
AUTHORS:
Afaf Ahmed Mohamed Shaheen
KEYWORDS:
Physical Activity, Health Related Physical Fitness, Female College Students, Saudi Arabia
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation,
Vol.11 No.1,
February
8,
2023
ABSTRACT: Health related-physical fitness (HRPF) is critical
for maintaining and enhancing health and quality of life. Purposes: To estimate the reference values and predictive
equations for frequently used clinical field HRPF measures in a sample of Saudi female college students aged 18 - 24 years. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, body fat percentage (BF %) was estimated. Curl-up
test (CUT) and sit and reach test (SRT) were applied in 216 students. The
Queen’s College Step Test (QCST) was used to predict maximal oxygen consumption
(VO2 max). Physical activity (PA) level was also measured using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results: The mean of BF %, SRT, CUT, and predicted VO2 max were
23.98% ± 6.13%, 17.10 ± 7.50 cm, 28.17 ± 7.72
number/min, and 39.58 ± 4.01 ml/kg/min respectively. There was no significant
effect of age on all HRPF measures except for BF % (F (6,215) =
3.25, p (6,215) = 4.01, p strated that BMI was the
predictor for BF % and SRT and explained 65% and 4% of total variance respectively.
IPAQ score, age, and height were the predictors of CUT counting 17% of total
variance. While, BMI and IPAQ score were the
predictors for VO2 max and explained 13% of the total variance. Conclusion: Reference values can be used clinically in the evaluation of HRPF, in the rehabilitation process as well as in designing a program to
improve the HRPF for female college students with consideration of age, height,
BMI, and PA level for a particular population.