RESUMO
This is a cross-sectional study to evaluate the relationships between physical fitness, leisure time physical activity, and serum lipid levels in middle-aged male workers. Physical fitness was measured by a step test score, and leisure time physical activity was self-reported on a questionnaire. Serum total cholesterol was negatively related to physical fitness(r=-0.27), and positively to obesity index(r=0.27). But leisure time physical activity was related to total cholesterol negatively(r.-0.20) only in subjects whose total cholesterol levels were above 170mg/dl. High density lipoprotein(HDL) cholesterol was positively related to physical faintness(r=0.15), negatively to obesity index(r=-0.22), and positively to weekly alcohol consumption(r=0.14). Total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio was related to physical fitness(r=-0.23), obesity index(r=0.32), total cigarette index (r=0.13), weekly alcohol consumption(r=-0.13), and vegetable preference(r=0.13) physical fitness was also related to leisure time physical activity(r=0.19) and obesity index(r=-0.18). In multiple linear regression models, physical fitness(beta= -0.23) and obesity index(beta=0.18) were significantly associated with total cholesterol, obesity index(beta=-0.25) with HDL cholesterol, and obesity index(beta=0.30), physical fitness(beta= -0.16) and vegetable preference (beta=0.14) with total cholesterol HDL cholesterol ratio. In conclusion, as physical fitness has a stronger relationship with serum lipid levels than leisure time physical activity, and the association between physical fitness and leisure time physical activity is modest, physical fitness should be added as an important variable in addition to activity in future epidemiologic studies.