Muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness are associated with health-related quality of life among young adult men

Abstract

Background: Despite numerous studies providing evidence for positive effects of physical activity and physical fitness, evidence for association between physical fitness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young adults is limited. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the association of cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness with HRQoL from the perspective of its physical and mental components among young adult Finnish males. Methods: The sample consisted of 754 men, with the mean age of 26 years (SD 6.7 years), who participated in the military refresher training. HRQoL was measured using the Finnish RAND 36-item health survey. Cardiorespiratory fitness was determined by a bicycle ergometer test, and muscular fitness by various tests measuring maximal strength and muscular endurance. Logistic regression modelling was used to compare low, moderate and high physical and mental component of HRQoL scores to the respective levels of muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness. Results: The findings of the adjusted (age, educational level, marital status, employment status, smoking, use of alcohol and BMI) analysis showed that cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness are positively associated with both physical and mental components of HRQoL. In terms of the physical component of HRQoL, even a moderate fitness level was positively associated with better HRQoL. In terms of the mental component of HRQoL, the impact was seen only in the group with the highest fitness level. Conclusions: The findings suggest a positive contribution of physical fitness to mental health and highlight the importance of both muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness in the promotion of HRQoL. Even lighter forms of physical activity that result in moderate physical fitness could contribute to the physical component of HRQoL. In terms of the mental component of HRQoL, higher levels of physical fitness may be needed to gain higher levels of HRQoL among young males.

The Mediating and Moderating Effects of Physical Fitness of the Relationship between Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Health-Related Quality of Life in University Students

“…In our sample, there was a positive significant association between physical fitness and the PCS and MCS of HRQoL. This is in line with other studies performed with children [20], adolescents [22], university students [2,3], and young adults [64]. In a sample of 1129 Norwegian children aged 10 years, Andersen et al [65] determined that CRF had the strongest association with all domains of HRQoL.…”

“…Further research is needed to clarify the potential factors behind the role of physical fitness on the MCS of HRQoL. However, since high levels of physical fitness and adherence to the MD could have a beneficial effect on people's health [33,77], it seems plausible that both may contribute to prevent the risk of some chronic diseases [61,78] and mental disorders [64,66,[79][80][81]. Promoting activities that improve both parameters in young adults may be crucial to avoiding several health problems in adulthood and may enhance their quality of life.…”

Association of changes in cardiorespiratory fitness with health-related quality of life in young adults with mobility disability: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of mobile app versus supervised training

“…Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and specific domains of HRQoL have been previously observed in cross-sectional studies, however showing partially inconsistent results. More specifically, a study of healthy young males that looked into the different domains of HRQoL found positive associations only with the general health domain [ 27 ], whereas two other studies in a similar population that assessed the component summary scores of HRQoL found positive associations with both physical and mental health [ 28 , 29 ]. A study of postmenopausal women in which all domain and component summary scores of SF-36 were assessed, found that cardiorespiratory fitness was associated only with the mental component summary [ 30 ].…”

“…More specifically, it is an indicator of habitual physical activity but it is also determined by a combination of individual and environmental factors [26]. Cross-sectional studies of healthy individuals have shown positive associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and HRQoL [27][28][29][30].…”

Prediction of Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Czech Adults: Normative Values and Association with Cardiometabolic Health

“…Western European countries have more representative and normative data [13][14][15][16][17], enabling subsequent studies on the associations among CRF, cardiometabolic risk factors, and clinical outcomes in adults [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. However, there is no representative and normative data on CRF in Central and Eastern European populations, limiting relevant information on the health status of this population.…”