PHYSICAL AND CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS AMONG PHASE I MBBS STUDENTS - A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

step Background: Cardiorespiratory tness is a crucial indicator of overall physical tness, and it is essential for medical students, who often face sedentary lifestyles due to academic pressures. This study aimed to evaluate the physical and cardiorespiratory tness levels of rst-year medical students. A cross-sectional study was conducte Materials &Methods: d among 87 rst-year MBBS students aged 18-23 years. Physical tness was assessed using the Modied Harvard Step Test, and cardiorespiratory tness was measured by VO max, calculated using heart rate data. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to determine associations between physical tness index, VO max, and basal heart rate. The study found that 42 participants had excellent phy Results: sical tness, and 21 demonstrated superior VO max levels. Males had higher physical tness and VO max scores than females. A signicant negative correlation between basal heart rate and physical tness index (r = -0.493, p < 0.001) and a positive correlation between physical tness index and VO max (r = 0.450, p < 0.001) were observed. The study highlights the importance of physical activity in maintaining cardi Conclusion: orespiratory tness, especially for medical students who often have limited time for exercise. It emphasizes the need to incorporate physical activity into daily routines and academic curricula. Further studies involving larger and more diverse samples are recommended to explore tness trend