ABSTRACT
Background: Both physical fitness and mental fitness are essential to achieve success, especially in medical college students, where the academic pressure is high. Studies have shown that exercise helps to reduce mental stress as well as to maintain the fitness. Aims and Objectives: The present study was aimed to compare the level of physical fitness and level of mental stress in exercising and non-exercising medical students. Materials and Methods: A study was done on 60 medical students of age group of 18–20 years with 30 in the exercise group and 30 in the non-exercise group. Modified Harvard step test was used to assess physical fitness index and perceived stress scale questionnaire to assess mental stress. Descriptive analysis and independent t-test were used for statistical analysis. Results: The study demonstrated higher physical fitness (P < 0.01) and lower mental stress levels (P < 0.01) in the exercising group when compared to the non-exercising group. Conclusion: There was better physical fitness and lower mental stress levels among the exercising group when compared with the non-exercising group.
ABSTRACT
Background:Physical performance depends on physical fitness. Fit persons can accomplish the tasks. Fitness is modifiable and hence the fitness level can be increased. In this background a need was felt to validate the efficacy of the Amrut Pushti Vardhak(APV)powder, a product developed by DFRL Mysore, for its physical performance enhancing activity by fitness tests. The result of pre-clinical study of the product was encouraging; hence clinical trial was taken up.Methods:All norms of good clinical practiceand ethics were abided. The subjects were assigned in two homogenous groups, as control and trial groups. The trial group was given APVpowder 30gms/day for 21 days in the morning. The other group served as negative control. To evaluate the efficacy modified Harward step test was conducted before and after the intervention.Results:The test group showed statistically significant increase in the duration of exercise with pvalue 0.027 and increase in physical fitness index(PFI)with p value 0.01. The test group also showed statistically significant increase in the maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) (p=0.004). The increase in physical fitness level can be attributed to ingredients of APVpowder.Conclusions:Healthy volunteers who received APVpowder 30 gms/day for the duration of 21 days reported statistically significant increase in their duration of exercise, PFIand VO2max. This indicates the APVpowder increases in the physical fitness level.
ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and physical fitness index (PFI) among children and adolescents.Methods The study sample included 8941 students aged 7 to 18 years in Anhui who attended the Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance program of Chinese School Students,in 2010.Within each sex- and age-specific group,students were classified into five BMI categories which were:very low,BMI ＜5th percentile; low,BMI ≥5th but ＜15th percentiles; normal,BMI ≥15th but ＜85th percentiles; high,BMI ≥85th but ＜95th percentiles; and very high,BMI ≥95th percentiles.Z-scores based on urban-rural,sex- and age-specific means and standard deviations were calculated,and the sum of Z-scores for the fitness tests was used as a PFI.Differences in PFI between BMI categories were compared with ANOVA.Sex- and grade-specific regressions of PFI on BMI were done by using a linear model.Results For 8941 students,the PFIs on very low,low,normal,high and very high group were-1.77,-0.91,0.32,-0.17 and -0.54,respectively,and showed an inverted U shape.The normal BMI group students presented the highest PFI.Data from Linear regression analysis revealed that PFI was significantly positively correlated with BMI,while negatively associated with BMI square,which indicated that PFI was the quadratic function of BMI.When BMI was increasing,PFI showed a parabolic curvilinear.Conclusion Relationships between BMI and PFI were parabolic curvilinear among the children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 in Anhui province.