Association of body mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness, and their correlates among female physical therapy students in Multan.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlates directly associated with body mass index and cardiorespiratory fitness among undergraduate female physiotherapists. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2020 at Ali-Ul-Murtaza Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Muhammad Institute of Medical and Allied Sciences, Multan, Pakistan, and comprised undergraduate female physiotherapists aged17-25 years. The subjects were assessed on the basis of Physical Activity Readiness Questioner, body mass index and standard criteria of cardiorespiratory fitness. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. RESULTS: Of the 334 subjects with a mean age of 20.89±1.66 years, 200(59.88) were overweight and 34(10.17) were underweight. Overall 83(24.9) reported good quality of life, 194(58.1) were satisfied with their general health, and 228(68.3) presented with a history of cardiometabolic disorder. There was a highly significant positive correlation in overweight and negative correlation in underweight subjects (p≤0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of overweight female physical therapy students was high.