International Fitness Scale-IFIS: Validity and association with health-related quality of life in pregnant women.

This study aimed (a) to examine the construct validity of the International Fitness Scale (IFIS) to discriminate between different objectively measured physical fitness levels in pregnant women and (b) to assess the extent to which IFIS is able to discriminate between pregnant women with different levels of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A total of 159 pregnant women were involved in the GESTAtion and FITness project: 106 pregnant women (mean age 32.7, SD 4.4 years) were included. Self-reported physical fitness-that is, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, and overall fitness-was assessed with the IFIS. Physical fitness was objectively measured using the Bruce test, the handgrip strength test and the back-scratch test. The HRQoL was assessed with the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Higher self-reported physical fitness measured with IFIS was associated with higher objectively measured physical fitness (P < .05). There was a linear association so that higher self-reported physical fitness (ie, IFIS; regardless of the fitness component) was related to greater General Health dimension scores (P < .05). Moreover, higher self-reported physical fitness (all components except muscular strength) was associated with better Physical Functioning, lower Bodily Pain and higher Vitality scores (ie, SF-36 components). This linear trend was not seen for objectively measured physical fitness. The results of this study suggest that IFIS might be a useful tool for identifying pregnant women with low or very low physical fitness and with low quality of life health-related. Further research should elucidate whether IFIS can identify women with pregnancy complications before it can be implemented in clinical practice.

Influence of weight status on physical and mental health in Moroccan perimenopausal women.

INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of information about fitness and other health indicators in women from countries such as Morocco. This study aims to explore the association of weight status with physical and mental health in Moroccan perimenopausal women. METHODS: 151 women (45-65 years) from the North of Morocco were analyzed by standardized field-based fitness tests to assess cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, agility and balance. Quality of life was assessed by means of the Short-Form-36 Health Survey. Resting heart rate, blood pressure and plasma fasting glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were also measured. RESULTS: Blood pressure (P=0.001), plasma triglycerides (P=0.041) and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (P<0.001) increased as weight status increased. Levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, upper-body flexibility (both, P<0.001), static balance (P<0.05) and dynamic balance (P<0.01) decreased as weight status increased. Pairwise comparisons showed differences mainly between normal-weight and overweight vs. obese groups. No differences between groups were observed on quality of life. CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular and lipid profile and fitness, important indicators of cardiovascular disease risk, worsened as weight status increased, whereas quality of life appears to be independent of weight status. Exercise and nutritional programs focus on weight management may be advisable in this under studied population.

Fitness testing in the fibromyalgia diagnosis: the al-Ándalus project.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the ability of a set of physical fitness tests to discriminate presence or absence of fibromyalgia in women. METHODS: The sample comprised 487 women with fibromyalgia (52.1 ± 8 yr) and 250 control women (49.3 ± 9 yr). We assessed physical fitness using the arm curl, 30-s chair stand, handgrip strength, 8-ft up and go, 6-min walk, chair sit and reach, and the back scratch tests. The revised fibromyalgia impact questionnaire was used to assess fibromyalgia severity and symptomatology. RESULTS: Patients with fibromyalgia performed worse than control women in all the fitness tests studied (all, P < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that all the fitness tests were able to discriminate between presence and absence of fibromyalgia (all, P < 0.001). The area under the curve ranged from 0.708 to 0.910 (all, P < 0.001). Among the fitness tests studied, the arm curl test, followed by the 30-s chair-stand and handgrip strength tests, showed the highest capacity discriminating between the presence and absence of fibromyalgia. An arm curl test score of <20 repetitions was associated with increased odds of having fibromyalgia (odds ratio (OR), 35.6; 95% confidence interval, 12.6-101) in women age 35-44 yr. An arm curl test score of <16 repetitions was associated with increased odds of having fibromyalgia (OR, 23.7; 95% confidence interval, 10.3-54.0) in women age 35-44 yr. In the group of women age 55-65 yr, the highest OR was observed for the handgrip strength test and the odds of having fibromyalgia was 17 times greater than that in patients who performed less than 19 kg. CONCLUSIONS: The arm curl, 30-s chair stand, and handgrip strength tests powerfully discriminated women with fibromyalgia from healthy women. Identification of women who fail to meet the suggested standards can help to easily, quickly, and cheaply rule out the presence of the disease, especially in primary care settings.