Perception of physical activity vs. actual fitness: a comparative study in pathfit 1 students

The study aims to investigate subjective physical activity as a predictor of selected health-related physical fitness. The study included 362 collegiate students from a state university in the Philippines, composed of 199 males and 243 females. The respondents were selected through a combination of stratified and random sampling. The respondents were asked to complete the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), which was the instrument to quantify subjective physical activity. Also, the fitness data from the PatHFit 1 course, to which the participant belonged, was collected. As for the selected health-related physical fitness components, flexibility was measured through a sit-and-reach test. Muscular endurance was quantified using three fitness tests: a one-minute push-up test, plank test, and wall sit test. Lastly, a Three-minute step test was used to quantify the cardiovascular endurance of the respondents. Upon collecting the necessary data for the investigation, linear regression was used for data analysis. The study found that subjective physical activity assessments using the IPAQ effectively predicted muscular endurance and flexibility. As for sex specificity, Subjective physical activity levels notably influenced upper body and core endurance in males. However, only muscular endurance was affected in females. The findings highlight the need for further studies using various fitness assessments to validate the study results and explore the broader relationship between perceived activity and fitness across the genders.