Determination of physical fitness index and its relation with body mass index among physiotherapy students

BACKGROUND: The physiotherapy profession demands the therapist to engage in activities which require good amount of cardiorespiratory fitness.PURPOSE: The main aim of this study was to determine the physical fitness index (PFI) of the physiotherapy students using the Harvard step test and to examine the relationship between the body mass index (BMI) and physical fitness.METHODS: Two hundred and forty-two (males and females) physiotherapy students participated in this cross-sectional study. Descriptive data for age, gender, height, and weight were obtained, and BMI was calculated. PFI was measured using the Harvard step test.RESULTS: Physical fitness was observed as poor for 84.71%, low average for 14.05%, and high average for 1.24% physiotherapy students. None of the participants had good or excellent fitness.CONCLUSIONS: No correlation was found between BMI and physical fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness of the physiotherapy students was found to be poor. Therefore, there is a need to motivate the students to achieve the optimal level of fitness levels. It is recommended that the students should engage in physical activities, and institutions should include the different physical activities in the curriculum.