The Tromsø study: physical fitness, self reported physical activity, and their relationship to other coronary risk factors

Abstract

Study objective: The aim was to investigate the associations between physical fitness, leisure physical activity, and coronary risk factors.

Design: This was a cross sectional study of a random sample of men and women, following a population survey.

Setting: The municipality of Tromsø, Norway in 1986-1987.

Participants: All men born 1925-1966 and all women born 1930-1966 were invited to the survey; 21,826 subjects attended (81% of the eligible population): of these, 297 men and 312 women, randomly selected, attended the present study (attendance rates 94% in men and 89% in women).

Measurements and main results: Fitness was tested by bicycle ergometry. Physical activity was reported on a questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was performed with fitness and leisure activity as dependent variables, and coronary risk factors as independent variables. Fitness and leisure activity were positively related (p less than 0.05). Prominent findings for fitness were negative associations with age and smoking (p less than 0.05), and positive associations with body mass index in both sexes (p less than 0.01). HDL cholesterol and systolic blood pressure were significant predictors of fitness in men (p less than 0.01). Smoking emerged as a strong negative predictor for leisure activity in women (p less than 0.01), and a negative relation between leisure activity and total cholesterol was found in men (p less than 0.01).

Conclusions: The study indicates that coronary risk factors are more closely linked to physical fitness than to leisure physical activity.