Fitness Profiles and Activity Patterns of Entering College Students

Fitness levels of American youth have shown a marked decline in the last decade, according to recent studies. To determine whether such a tendency persists for entering college students, the authors evaluated 115 male and 143 female students for performance on the following fitness-related variables...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of American college health 1992-09, Vol.41 (2), p.59-62
Main Authors: Pierce, Edgar F., Butterworth, Susan W., Lynn, Tracey D., O'Shea, Jackie, Hammer, Warren G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Body Composition
Cardiopulmonary Function Testing
College Students
Exercise
Factors
Female
fitness
Health Behavior
Health Related Fitness
Higher Education
Humans
Male
Muscular Strength
Physical activity
Physical Activity Level
Physical Fitness
Physical Fitness - physiology
Sex Factors
Students
Universities
USA
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Summary:Fitness levels of American youth have shown a marked decline in the last decade, according to recent studies. To determine whether such a tendency persists for entering college students, the authors evaluated 115 male and 143 female students for performance on the following fitness-related variables: (1) maximal oxygen consumption (estimated from Astrand cycling protocol), (2) body composition (skin-fold techniques), (3) muscle endurance (sit-up protocol), (4) muscle strength (bench-press protocol), and (5) joint flexibility (upper and lower body protocols). Although neither men nor women exhibited high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, the women in the study showed higher relative levels than their male counterparts. Both groups showed excellent levels of muscle strength (compared with normative standards), but they achieved only an average standard for muscle endurance. Findings of relatively low levels of cardiovascular fitness compared with levels of muscle strength, particularly in men, seem to be a reflection of an inappropriate concentration of physical activity.
ISSN:0744-8481
1940-3208
DOI:10.1080/07448481.1992.10392819